


Surprise Me

by love_is_for_the_brave



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Roxy and Eggsy are best mates, Slow Burn, if you like the idea etc let me know, side story merlin and eggsy, this is just me trying something, this will definitely be some kind of Lancelot/Galahad pairing, with more explicit content to come but also feelings because we love that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:06:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_is_for_the_brave/pseuds/love_is_for_the_brave
Summary: This was set out to be rather short and has by now developed a storyline of its own, inspired by Ten Conversations (see my notes at the beginning). Set after Kingsman The Secret Service, because this is mostly about Roxy and Harry.Roxy and Harry might both be attracted to each other, but there are obstacles and misunderstandings and slow burn, yes. It's not always easy to work together, right?Also, Merlin and Eggsy will be featured as their delightful selves and might develop side storylines.
Relationships: Harry Hart | Galahad/Roxy Morton | Lancelot, Roxy Morton | Lancelot & Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
Comments: 22
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m very, very late to Kingsman Fanfiction, and recently found the amazing „Ten Conversations“ by deepdarkwaters. It inspired me enough to give fanfic writing another shot, so some background information you will find matching with their story or slightly differing, but nonetheless inspired from there. Also, as that fic made me desperate to write a Roxy/Harry pairing, this will be set after Kingsman - The Secret Service and will feature a however-they-did-it recovered Harry as well as a very alive Roxy. Since English is not my native language I’m very happy to be told about mistakes or structures that just aren’t used that way in English. Enjoy!

Tender touches tingled on her tummy. The lazy waves extended all over her breasts and between her thighs while Roxy sleepily noticed the morning light in the bedroom. The smooth pillows had nearly swallowed her completely, white linen against her bare skin, whispering with every movement of the mysterious head she discovered when looking down her body. This was why she never spent the whole night at a target’s house.  
The nights she loved to be ecstatic and full of physical struggles for dominance, an eyebrow raised amusingly at any man barely managing to beg her to finally bring him off. Apart from successfully finishing yet another mission Roxy took delight and a fair bit of pride in making the girls realize how little their boyfriends were focused on their longer-lasting pleasure, and more or less accidentally setting them on a journey of finding fulfillment for their lust.  
The mornings, though, were the only time she ever let herself be vulnerable. Sleep had always been her holy grail - Eggsy would go to the pubs with his mates to calm down, or simply fall asleep while watching Tilde killing off zombies on the telly if he was too tired to go out. No, Roxy would always come home to her poodle, since she never invited a target or a personal encounter to her home - the risk of potentially exposing at least herself, if not the whole organization, too massive and too much of a weight to let lose anyways. She would come home and have a hot shower to relax the muscles and then go to sleep in her luxurious bed. The sheets were exquisite and soft, the mattress made especially for her back and by now was hugging her curves like a decent partner would at night. She suspected that her poodle also liked the memory foam in her snuggly corner at the far end of the ridiculously large bed, spreading her limbs all over the place and still not interfering with Roxy’s petite yet perfectly fit figure.  
In the mornings, she was vulnerable. She preferred tender touches to rough treating when the sun kissed her awake. The first minutes of the day she would allow for herself, breathing in the freshly-washed scent of the fabric before becoming her fully professional self.  
The mysterious head by now had finished pressing soft kisses to every inch of her tummy, on and between the ribs protruding slightly when breathing in, and started to let the slightest pressure of tongue circle her nipples. Roxy smelled hints of oak and cedar woods and could not help a little sigh escape her lips. Lazily she opened her eyes completely and looked down at the ruffled hair, the broad shoulders, and suddenly realized that this head belonged to -

„Harry?“, Eggsy asked tenderly. Merlin was standing to one side of the Kingsman hospital bed, Eggsy to the other. It had been several weeks since V-Day and Harry’s condition had been overlooked anxiously, his vitals stabilizing as well as his breathing. Simply the brain scan couldn’t tell them if their new technology had been healing Harry Hart enough to come back as himself. The past days, it had seemed like he was finally going to wake up, and Eggsy had patiently been dividing his spare time between Tilde and Harry. Roxy had even brought him some changing clothes at one point when he had just fallen asleep on the next hospital bed. She had never worked with Harry as much as Eggsy but knew that there was a very special bond between the two men, and Eggsy to her was the platonic soulmate/best friend she had never had.  
Harry’s eye opened cautiously, pupil adapting to the bright light of the hospital site. His first blink was aimed at the ceiling, but as features seemed to sharpen his healthy eye slowly turned around to fully take in the two men standing on either side of his bed. The faintest smile started to hold up the corners of his mouth. Even via screen Roxy could see the weight lifted off the shoulders of Merlin and Eggsy, and Eggsy in particular, never shy to display his emotions, could hardly hold himself back from hugging Harry immediately. Merlin, more reserved and professional, showed in less obvious ways, but her training still made his relief crystal clear to her. She had promised Eggsy to be close but hadn’t wanted to interrupt the intimate moment, so he suggested her sitting in the control center, close enough and at least within reach. She didn’t mind vanishing in the background.  
„Good to see you back, Harry“, Merlin said softly. „Although you might need to think about a new Kingsman name, since we weren’t sure if and how you were coming back“.  
„That’s what you get for letting yourself shot in the head, I suppose“, Harry replied dryly and now Eggsy couldn’t really hold himself back anymore as he more or less lifted Harry into a sitting position while hugging him tightly.  
„Don’t know what to say Harry, but please don’t ever do that again“, he shakily whispered, taking a moment to collect himself and then breaking into an achingly big smile. Harry returned Eggsy’s bright and ever-growing grin in his more moderate version.  
„I’m certainly glad to see that you made your training complete in the end“, Harry paused for a moment and then addressed Eggsy directly: „Agent Galahad, I assume?“  
„Aye, Sir“, Merlin agreed while gesturing to the screen on the opposite wall of the hospital bed. „We have some catching up to do after our medical tests, but I can assure you the cheeky bastard here has made your proposal of candidates valid once more.“  
Roxy was hoping that Eggsy would be coming back soon. After all, last night - or better: this morning - had had her waking up in a way that hadn’t happened before. And she urgently needed to talk about it.


	2. Chapter 2

“What’s all the bloody fuss about?“, Eggsy asked while Roxy more or less dragged him to one of the sound-proof rooms in the estate. She decisively closed the door, turned around to Eggsy and looked him straight in the eye.   
“Eggsy, this is so weird because I know how close you are but you’re also my best mate and -„  
“Roxy, jeez, calm down. You’re getting ahead of your own words, you alright?“ Eggsy usually knew her to be composed in her work environment, her high-end education very noticeable, her manners exactly on point.   
Roxy took a deep breath, Eggsy’s calming and reassuring hands on her shoulders, his warm eyes smiling at her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
”Last night I had a sex dream -„  
”Oh my!“, Eggsy chuckled. ”You never had a problem with telling me about them before and all your honeypot missions with their kinky stuff. Remember the royal girl who liked to be tied up by you, using your riding crop on her whole body for hours at a time? So what, this someone special now? Do I know them?  
”Actually“, Roxy sighed, ”and I really don’t know why, but it was about… Harry.“  
Eggsy’s eyes widened in surprise. Roxy was unsure what he was thinking - after all, Harry to him was more than just his mentor, more than just his probably soon-to-be boss. And here she was on the other side, his best mate without whom he wouldn’t have survived all the douchebags during the Kingsman training. The two had grown as close as they platonically could, knowing each other’s moves and working smoothly together as well. It had only been a dream, Roxy knew that they rarely were connected to reality, and yet she hadn’t been able to shake it off that easily.  
”Well, he is a handsome bloke, that’s for sure.“ Eggsy’s eyes had taken to a mischievous twinkle, the corners of his mouth rising up cheekishly.   
”Hadn’t figured before he’d be your type, with all the ladies you always get lucky with on your missions.“   
Roxy laughed: ”You know me Eggsy. I’m not at stickler when it comes to private areas - if I fancy someone I fancy them. I guess that’s why Merlin puts me on the honeypot missions. I can work with anything and I also mostly enjoy it.“ She smiled back at him with warmth and also the same mischievous look in her eyes. Being open with each other and sharing even the most embarrassing sex stories was one of their favourite drinks-and-free-time things to do.  
Meanwhile, Eggsy excitedly guided her to the chairs in the scarcely furnished room, now understanding why she had chosen a soundproof room for this. Kingsman staff were, surprisingly, the most gossip-keen group he had ever encountered. The only bulletproof way of keeping something private was simply to not work there.  
”So now, tell me about it then! You know how I like a nice dream“, he started interrogating her with a wink when they had sat down.  
Roxy breathed out a little laughter.  
”I feel like a girl who doesn’t know what to do with her first wet dream. For some reason I can’t really shake it off - I suppose it was all the excitement about him waking up within the next days that got him in my head, just your typical brain processing.“  
”Anything naughty? You need to let a bit of steam off?“, Eggsy snickered. At times he would act as her wingman when the adrenaline rush from missions was just not going to be worked off by the gym, only an exciting stranger. He knew how strict Kingsman policies were in that area. Tilde was the near-holy exception and only so because V-Day had been such a mass event. Also, no spy agency would assume that someone as much in the spotlight as the partner of a princess would be a secret spy. The cover was simply too ridiculous.  
Roxy thought about that for a moment.   
”Not really, you know. I just hope it gets out of my head soon, since he’s back with us now. I overheard you and Merlin talking about the recruiting process, any news?“  
”He’s working on it“, Eggsy replied. ”Supposedly Harry is gonna be Arthur, with his injuries and experience and all of that. Which would still leave Galahad for me, but we lost another agent during V-Day. Turns out he had been recruited nearly the same year as Chester.“ Eggsy looked like had just tried something very distasteful.   
”You don’t look very sorry for him“, Roxy was trying her best to hide an amused smile, ”you know, blowing up his head.“  
”Ain’t ever felt better about doing anything else in this job“, Eggsy replied with a grin. “But you know, Merlin has narrowed down the number of the trainees to nine by now. Said he was gonna try some other classes, since times are evolving and stuff. He wanted to talk to you as well, seduction techniques.“  
”Now that’s going to be fun“, Roxy said delighted. “None of those posh boys know much about proper seducing, let alone female anatomy. Thankfully the girls are getting more educated. And what are you going to do with them?“  
“Let’s see“, Eggsy paused for a second, “teaching them how to fucking spectacularly save the world while also finding themselves a stunning Swedish princess?“ He looked so smug that Roxy punched him in the arm.  
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself, you idiot“, she teased him.  
“Keep me updated on your wild dreams, yeah?“, Eggsy asked her.  
“Will do, Sir,“ Roxy replied while saluting mockingly. Together, they left the room and went down the floor to find Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who got the Sherlock reference? And do you have any ideas where this might be heading?


	3. Chapter 3

Roxy found herself standing in front of a class of seven trainees. It reminded her of her own school days in several ways. There was the small amount of students that one teacher supervised, made possible by the absurdly high amounts of discreetly passed on money. There was the one group of still outgrowing puberty youngsters that thought too highly of themselves and who carried themselves with an aura of hidden arrogance. The oaky smell of the century-old furniture, the dusty scent of the heavy curtains, the bright light falling through the high windows with their modern big frames. Warmth was cast over her skin wherever the sunlight touched her, reflecting the warmth of her hazel eyes.   
Today’s class was different to what had been taught at her school, though. 

This class was about efficient and subtle seduction techniques, tailored to general scenarios as well as case examples. Roxy would talk the applicants through body language as well as showing weaknesses and staying authentic in their mission’s character. Apart from a few objects the majority subconsciously didn’t like to feel treated like another number. There always had to be a part of your heart in the task involved, making honeypot missions by far not the easiest. It required being in sync with yourself and your emotions, constantly checking up with yourself, by yourself.   
Roxy was thinking that she was doing a pretty decent job with that. She wouldn’t like to talk about it, but being from a military family hadn’t always been easy. Witnessing both of her parents experiencing panic attacks had been normal until she learnt that her friends’ parents weren’t regularly rocking back and forth, and that they didn’t have their therapists on short-dial.

It also meant that from an early age on Roxy had taken care of and luckily also been taken care of in these situations. Sometimes, though, it wasn’t enough. Sometimes, all her yoga and meditation sessions, the Kingsman therapist specializing in PTSD, her journaling and her late-night deep talks with Eggsy weren’t enough. Then she realized that not only had she chosen the same career path as her parents, but that there really wasn’t anything one could do about this, if one were continuously working in this field of work. 

It had led to a desperate attempt at trying to get her mind off of re-playing incidents from finished tasks: she simply had gone out to get laid by somebody. Or to get somebody laid. At that point, she hadn’t cared about anything else. They all developed coping techniques that weren’t healthy. The therapist merely tried to keep them functioning. It was what could be tagged as ‘risk of the job’ - deep down they all knew that no matter how suave and dapper they looked, how gentlemanly their manners and how educated they were about mental health, they weren’t healthy. It was an extremely dangerous job. Surviving long enough to even deal with mental health issues was already considered lucky.

This had lead to Roxy excelling at her honeypot missions. After all, it was some kind of training to her and unexpectedly, she could use her finesse to successfully finish her missions. With time, she had been assigned more of those missions, her queerness usable for Kingsman and her covers. In those physically close situations, people would seek for some true core in her to attach themselves to and appreciating many forms of physiques authentically was a bonus for her missions.

And now she was asked to pass some of her knowledge on to those sitting in front of her. They sat dutily in their seats and still Roxy could see the innocence behind their eyes, the weight that wasn’t placed on one of their shoulders and the unnoticed carelessness that some of them displaying more openly. They knew what the job was on paper. They wouldn’t know the actual reality until one of them made it.  
And so, Roxy took out a riding crop for attention and stereotype debating and hit the desk in front of her. The loud noise drew all the attention to her as you could see dust swirling through the air.   
“Now“, Roxy said with a smile, “let’s start with the riding crop.“

________________

“There will be a practical assessment“, Roxy informed the trainees at the end of her class. Nearly automatically, two boys looked at each other with meaningful grins. Roxy would have liked to roll her eyes very much at this sight, but she was professional, and she was their teacher in this class. They also were none of her promising candidates.  
“I sincerely hope that you paid attention to the techniques pointed out in this class. I know that this topic might seem more… delightful than others in missions, but you must never forget: Mission comes first. Feelings, no matter their nature, must be put aside.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This surprisingly got a bit dark, but hey, now Roxy has a more profound back story as well. Also I felt that I couldn't keep up the “cool spies without problems“ story, as writing gives more room than a film for some of these topics and it felt a bit vain otherwise. Any ideas how Roxy and Harry are going to get more involved?


	4. Chapter 4

“What do you think of this?“, Roxy asked Eggsy, looking at herself critically in the mirror. It covered both walls opposite of each other, so even alone any Kingsman agent could see if their outfit was working for them from every angle. After all, they operated in circles where any slip-up, and may that be in their fashion choices, could mean exposure.

Roxy had asked Eggsy to come with her to the Kingsman wardrobe, which wasn’t as much a wardrobe but rather the size of a clothing store at the mall, and a very expensive one at that. There were all sorts of clothing, from chic to classic to what Shezza (Sherlock, anyone?) would wear. One could find a sleek black dress that flowed from neck to ankle with a complimenting back cut out, accessorized with pure diamonds next to the latest sneakers of any brand; there were, of course, suits for any occasion in every agent’s size; clothes that mimicked those of working professionals, such as police, hospital staff and cashiers to perfectly blend in undercover; and there was also the not so small corner in which every agent could find outfits fitting them and the various scenarios perfectly for honeypot missions. It was, in other words, a gigantic fashion playground, and Roxy was planning on using it.

“You sure about that colour?“, Eggsy asked her back. He himself wasn’t planning on attending the party that night at the estate, since he was having some exciting plans himself. Tilde’s parents were visiting England on an official trip to one of the fellow European monarchies and Tilde couldn’t wait to introduce them to each other. Eggsy didn’t know if he was supposed to be excited or frightened, having heard the drilling questions about him when Tilde was skyping next to him. He had already put on one of his tailored suits, prepared on giving his probably soon-to-be parents-in-law a good first impression of him. After all, Roxy had already listened to him fantasizing about a dream wedding while being very, very drunk. It had made dragging him up the stairs to their apartment slightly more bearable. Of course, she had made him promise her to make her his best woman, which she naturally had video-taped in case he had forgotten about that. A little bit of pressure hadn’t hurt him so far.

Roxy turned her back to the mirror, critically looking down. The lace-up that let you see her spine somehow didn’t feel right for this event. She wanted the candidates to succeed, not be overly intimated - she had noticed that the majority of them hadn’t been that experimental yet. These thoughts were worth considering because the party wasn’t just any party - it was, albeit the trainees didn’t know that yet, the event at which they were supposed to show the seduction techniques. Each of them would be given a target, and since staff was attending as well, these were the ones mainly targeted. The agents would know, even without any notification, that there must be some set-up, and would thus sabotage the results. As much fun as watching that would be, Roxy also wanted to see who would naturally be succeeding. 

“Why don’t I get you something. I’ve seen some velvet green dress back there that would bring out your eyes nicely“, Eggsy offered kindly. Normally, she wasn’t indecisive with anything, actually. However, this was her first time seeing how well she had trained the candidates, and she was still the only female Kingsman agent. She didn’t want to slip up in any way, and may that simply be by drawing too much or too little attention to herself at this party.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you“, Roxy sighed and smiled at him in the mirror. Eggsy winked and went to the back, getting out of sight behind the numerous walls making up the wardrobe. Meanwhile, Roxy stripped out of the dress and carefully hung it back. Just because the clothing came free with the job didn’t mean that she would have to give any of the clothing stuff more work hours. She was glad her parents had ingrained a certain conscience in her.  
Her underwear had been picked out at the play corner. Roxy was simply curious if any of the trainees would be bold enough to test out their acquired skills, and if only to show them that obviously a well-trained agent would anticipate that move. Also, she liked those tightly-tailored garments. They always gave off a certain Black Widow vibe which then gave her an aura of mysteriousness, of deathly and promising at the same time. It worked well for her, she knew. It was a delight to watch, too.

The entrance door closed discreetly, yet Roxy still heard it standing at the mirror. There was only the one in the middle of the wardrobe; mostly, there was never more than one agent in here at once, and if a moment arose, they were all gentlemen.  
“Oi, Eggsy, are you leaving me?“, Roxy shouted over her back amused. She had picked up one or two words from him from gaming with him, sometimes with Tilde as the third player.  
However, the footsteps approaching weren’t exactly matching Eggsy’s walk. Roxy swirled around, getting into fighting position just in time for Harry Hart to enter the mirror room. He gave her a slight nod of the head, rather unwillingly dragging a cane with every second step with him.  
“Lancelot“, was the only spoken acknowledgment that came from him. Apparently he was in a hurry, not surprising given his reputation for constantly being late.  
With that and without any further looks he proceeded and had already vanished in his wardrobe before Roxy could answer. She hadn’t known how to anyways, since Eggsy had become Galahad in Harry Hart’s absence and the position of Arthur was not for discussion until he had healed further; the medical team wasn’t declaring him fit for a full-time job just yet.  
There was something else about this too. Roxy hadn’t told Eggsy yet, but she still hadn’t gotten her dream out of her head. And now she stood here, well-lit in the mirror room in her black, closely tailored seduction garments, not even knowing how to greet her probably soon-to-be superior. The mystic man that had seen past Eggsy’s layers and who had survived being shot by Valentine. There was a certain… something. Something captivating about him. She couldn’t put her finger on it just yet.

“Rox, I’ve finally found the dress. Sorry it’s taken so long, at times this can be a bloody labyrinth. You think someone’s already died here?“, Eggsy talked his way back to Roxy, still standing in the middle of the room and starting to feel cold.  
“Eggsy“, Roxy interrupted him as soon as he was in earshot, “Harry just walked in on me. I don’t know. I mean I didn’t know how to greet him and now I wonder if I should approach him about that? I wouldn’t like to seem rude.“  
Eggsy grinned to himself. “Rox, this is the first time you ever even worry about something like that. Sure that’s the agent talking in you?“  
“Bloody well is is the agent in me“, Roxy snapped back, maybe a little too harshly to actually prove her point. Naturally, Eggsy had picked up on that and just grinned wider.  
“Give me the dress“, Roxy said annoyed and turned her attention back to the mirror and her reflection. She was simply focusing on making a good impression and a well-done training/party night. She was a professional, for God’s sake.

Eggsy still smirked in the corner of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Golden lights cascaded down the shimmering wooden floor. A couple of dancers had found their spots and were elegantly turning and circling with the movement of the melodic waltz subtly playing. Laughter and whispers and chatter swirled around the room, forks and knives meeting over plates and glasses cheekily clinking together. The windows opened the room to the grand meadows in front of the mansion and the velvety night above them, silver flooding the grasses. A light summer breeze would whisper through the room every so often, bringing in a welcome breathe of fresh air. 

The Kingsman staff and those agents who could make it had all found their way to the annual Kingsman Office Party. Dressed in bespoke and flattering fashion, it already was a party worth attending for the fashion choices, displaying the wearers’ characters. There was Eggsy, for example, not shy for attention, in a velvety suit jacket that turned heads because of the impossible orange. There was Margaret from accounting, a lady that at first seemed like a wallflower but at second glance let you see that she was up to all sorts of mischief. Her lilac dress was cut deeply at both front and back and she had clearly laid eyes on the bartender. Roxy was curious if any trainees might try their luck with Margaret. They might learn a thing or two from her.

“Tell me, how do I look?“, she more or less rhetorically whispered in Eggsy’s ear from behind. She already knew she was looking great. The green dress Eggsy had brought to her in the wardrobe was cut closely to her neck in the front but showed off her back right up to where the small of her back ended. The dress ended slightly below her knees, hanging ever so loosely, as if the tailor had been reminiscing of older decades. It suited her and drew views to her delicate ankles in dark heels, adequate to dance within them yet also hiding daggers in their heals.  
Eggsy turned around in his bar stool while Roxy slid onto the one next to him.  
“Damn, Rox!“, he said while letting his eyes go over her whole outfit. If he hadn’t been her best friend he would have gotten smacked by now already.  
“You look amazing! Are you trying to lure in one of your tender impressible students tonight?“, Eggsy asked with a wink.  
“Nah“, Roxy gave back while swallowing the first sip of her ordered martini, “I wouldn’t want to prey on our little bambis. They’ve already been through so much.“  
They both smirked at each other for a second. The day before the party, Harry Hart, who was by now already acting as acting Arthur, had withdrawn one of the trainees for reasons of missing appropriate behaviour. When the proposing agent had asked for details all he had gotten was a very irritated number of curse words as descriptions for the candidate’s behaviour. Word on the street was that the aspirant had had difficulty working with colleagues of different gender and/or background than him. Mr. Hart was eager on defining the ground rules in another way than his predecessor. Since both Roxy and Eggsy were parts of these groups, Harry had only tightened their confidence in him as the organization’s new leader and how this behaviour would be dealt with in the future.

Eggsy took a glance at the dance floor and used his own glass of martini to discreetly point to a group of the left over trainees, standing close to one of the columns of the room.  
“So, Rox, tell me, anybody promising in your class? Not for me but somebody ought to have a nice night judging from who the trainee’s teacher was.“  
Roxy rolled around her eyes but couldn’t help smiling at Eggsy.  
“I’m curious who will win this assignment. Honestly, with seduction it might be some of the more silent characters. For the staff however, I’m betting on Margaret.“  
Eggsy nearly spit out his drink at that comment.  
“Count me in! Margaret knows how to have a good night, I can tell you that much.“  
“Anything you’d want to share?“, Roxy asked with an amused eyebrow raised at Eggsy, whose orange jacket didn’t help at all concealing the hint of red creeping up his neck up all over his face.  
“You know“, Roxy went on, “as your future best man this would make a delightful story, I’m sure of that“, watching with amusement how much Eggsy seemed to wish he’d kept his mouth shut.  
“Yeah, you have your fun“, Eggsy muttered. Then a mischievous gloss came to his eyes when he returned his attention back to Roxy.  
“So, how are things with Harry?“  
“There’s nothing that needs to be talked about“, Roxy returned slightly irritated. Eggsy simply gave her a look.  
“Fine“, she muttered under her breath, “I can’t get this dream out of my head. Although it’s not really the dream I suppose. There’s something captivating about him, which I suppose is my weak and flawed human side. My best guess is that I’ve recently have had a number of honeypot assignments in a rather short period of time that I’m projecting some of those occurring feelings onto a person in my environment. That’s it. That’s all.“ Seemingly satisfied with her rationalizing Roxy relaxed in her chair and ordered another martini. Eggsy just looked at her with raised eyebrows.  
“Sure thing, Rox,“, he said dryly, “sure thing.“

Meanwhile, Margaret had made her way over to the bar and winked in their direction. Eggsy didn’t quite know how to act but Roxy had no problems winking back at her.  
“No“, Eggsy exclaimed.  
“Yes, indeed“, Roxy answered and took a sip from her martini.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should anything else happen at this party? I wasn't sure whether to bring Harry in or not...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I only have vague ideas where this plot is taking us, but at least the tension is building. I'm hoping that these two will sooner than later make some things happen, but apparently this idea was not the first intended slightly plot-surrounded explicit content (which I'm still planning on).

The end of the party had sneaked upon the guests while the summer sun was reprising its ascent over the meadows. Roxy stood next to one of the floor-length windows, watching as the droplets of water on top of the grass started to sparkle. It was a magnificent, peaceful sight. A sense of calmness surrounded her, and her shoulders relaxed ever so little. She did have difficulty switching off the job, but moments like these seemed to almost bring a grounded quiet to her limbs. Her fingers relaxedly held on to the glass of water, her posture still composed yet with the carefree aura that came after such a joyful night.

Two of the trainees had succeeded in using the seduction techniques taught by her. It was a high enough number to show that her teaching skills were sufficient for Kingsman staff while being low enough to show that these techniques truly deserved their own teaching. It would manifest her role as an agent, and since she was the first female employee, would give her a better stance at the table in Arthur’s office. Not every decision was easy to make, and discussions about the best approaching techniques and resulting collateral damage would sometimes get heated. Well, heated in a rather hidden way, but noticeable for any Kingsman agent. With Eggsy and her claiming their seats, views from younger and more diverse backgrounds had been introduced to the table. While Kingsman agent were first and foremost gentleman, that didn’t exactly tell about which decade’s definition of gentleman one had been educated with. This sometimes resulted in the calling for more experienced opinions by those who, well, had more experience. That the world was an ever-changing place had not been spotted by all of her colleagues, unfortunately.

Steps were approaching her. To be precise, she already knew it was Harry Hart; his two slightly differently impacting steps accompanied with the slight dragging of his cane gave him away easily. Though not absolutely necessary anymore, medical staff kept him using his crane for fear of an accident caused by too much anticipation. Roxy had heard he didn’t liked that, an impatience coming through whenever his body would deny him of the ordered functions. Maybe it was more about a certain sense of control, though, she thought. Working in a field of an abundance of unpredictable situations, the one thing they could usually rely on were their bodies.

He came to a stop next to her, eyeing the same spectacle that had drawn her closer to the windows. They were among the last guests in the ballroom, only two members of staff under heavy influence sleepily giggling back and forth while resting their heads on each other’s shoulders. His impeccable suit had undertones of darkish blue, an almost swallowing sensation about it that drew one closer and closer. His tie was ever so slightly of a darker colour, adding a fresh counter to the traditional piece, in colour with the polished Oxfords. Roxy could smell hints of an uncommon aftershave; a dark, luring note that seemed to entice with a sense of the forbidden fruit. Not only had she dreamt of him, she also liked something more than the easy targets and encounters at pubs to work for. The sense of unattainability, knowing him only more or less per Eggsy was already awakening her inner hunter. 

“A magnificent view“, Galahad started the conversation while nodding towards the window.  
“Congratulations on the official announcement of your new position“, Roxy replied. She hadn’t seem him since the official appointment and while he had gotten her vote, she wanted to make her endorsement clear.  
“Thank you, Lancelot. I must say I was impressed by your training of the candidates. One of the young men tried his luck with Merlin. It was a delight to watch how Merlin handles those advances. He’s much more used to working computers.“ A slight rise of the corner of his mouth indicated his amusement at the memory.   
Roxy turned to face him completely, somehow unconsciously and consciously at the same time turning a bit more than would have been necessary. It meant that the slightest amount of air had swirled off into his direction and with it her scent, a mixture of the night’s odour paired with one of her favourite perfumes. It had been a spontaneous spending of her salary while on mission in Italy, the bottle immortalizing the bitter yet sweet aroma of the sun-soaked oranges. The enticing hints of sweetness that radiated from the peaches and cherries were countered by splashes of citrus and rosemary. And there was something else, a promising and alluring darkish note, that told tales of hot summer noons spent in the secret chill of stone-build kitchens.  
None of the other agents would have noticed, but that was why she excelled at seduction. She saw the slightest amount of tension in Galahad’s had grasping the cane, she noticed the deeper inhale and split-second too much before breathing out. There was the brief dilation of his pupils, telling her that his attention had been awakened, and the fact that, mirroring her body language, he too had turned around to face her completely.

“Thank you, Galahad“, Roxy replied to the compliment of her work.   
“I have to say that the success is also owed to the group’s attention, with some of the students taking more notes than others.“  
Harry nodded. “During my training we weren’t taught that well. One had to figure out certain things by himself, but even then those thinking too highly of themselves had less success than us others.“  
Roxy took a curious look at him.   
“What exactly was your speciality in the field? So far I’ve heard of the considerable amount of languages in your repertoire, so I thought it would be communications. I might seem to have gotten the wrong idea.“  
A cheeky smile started to grow from Harry’s mouth and sparkled from his eye.  
„Yet now you might be getting the right idea, Miss Morton. So, how’s the evening been for you? I suppose it was rather exciting to watch your scholars in the open field?“, he smoothly changed topics, knowing that Roxy’s training would stop her from digging deeper. 

She would have to make some searches. Apparently Harry Hart was more secretive than she had been making him in her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like to leave a comment I would be delighted.   
> Also, if there's any story ideas you're having let me know!


	7. Chapter 7

“Come on, Eggsy. How about some ice cream?“, Roxy asked distressed. She hadn’t seen him like that yet. To be fair, she had only known him as a single guy during rigorous training and then enarmoured with a Swedish princess, and the highs seemed to be as bright as the lows were deep. She was trying her best between attending her briefings at work, which had become more frequent with her promotion to teacher-in-case-of-need, and taking care of Eggsy, who by now was staying at her place for the third time in a row.

Eggsy simply groaned, and then put the duvet back enough to catch a glimpse at Roxy, who was standing sitting on the ground next to her sofa. On the sofa were Eggsy and her dog. It was an impossible task to get either one of them to move, but at least Aglaea would let Roxy take her for a walk once a day, which was more than Eggsy was up to. The meeting with Tilde’s parents hadn’t gone that well, and through misunderstandings, arguments had gotten more heated until Tilde had demanded time to herself. As Eggsy more or less met her while in training, he hadn’t bothered looking for a place himself in London, which was a nightmare even with their salary. They had never given off the impression of regretting the slight rush in moving in together, but it meant that Eggsy didn’t have his own place to retreat to. Lately, this had happened more frequently, and Roxy had started to worry. With the introduction to Tilde’s parents Roxy had hoped their relationship had moved passed the tumultuous waters, but apparently she had had the wrong impression. Or maybe all three of them had hoped for something that Roxy was starting to fear was less stable than Tilde and Eggsy had thought it to be.

“Eggsy, this is the third day in a row you’re laying around on my sofa. This is the limit you get for yourself, even with these circumstances. You are lucky that there’s no mission for you at the moment.“, Roxy tried a different voice, arching her eyebrow and folding her arms. It didn’t help that she was sitting on the wooden floor on her knees and Aglaea had started to lick her elbow.  
Eggsy simply groaned some more and pulled the duvet back over his head. Unintelligible mumble came from below her favourite blanket, a wine-red souvenir from a small farm in Mongolia. Even he was realizing that this wasn’t helping either of them, so with a last effort he sighed and pulled away the duvet. The dog wasn’t bothered by this and just rearranged her long limbs all over the porcelain-white couch. Roxy had long ago given up on trying to not let her dog get up on the sensitive fabric.

“Honestly, Roxy, I don’t even know what to feel like. First I felt shit and cried my eyes out, but I’m also just so fucking angry, you know?“, Eggsy finally started talking while sitting up. He was still wearing the casual clothes he had had on himself when arriving at her place at 2 a.m., and sadly she still had his clothes from him from last time around. However, that also meant that she could get him to shower and change, if only to make her feel like she had done something for him, anything really.   
“There we are and I’m thinking finally, this is going to go well, with all my training and such. And then Tilde starts with these little pointed remarks, of course without her parents noticing, but I tried to overhear it. I even mumbled that we should talk later, but she whispered back that I was always saying that without ever making that promise true. And then her dad tried to talk about the tailoring business and at some point I just felt like a wannabe person, an impostor, reaching for places never meant for people like me. Bloody shite, that’s what this is.“ He rested his head in his hands, too exhausted to give way to tears or angrily clenched fists.

Roxy reached over to him and pulled him into a hearty embrace. There were few words she could say, because by this point she too was at her wits’ ends with this relationship.   
“Eggsy“, she softly said while she could feel his sad body lumping against hers, “whatever happens, whatever you decide, you can always come around here, you know that, right?“  
“Yeah, Rox. You’re aces, you know that?“, Eggsy replied, voice muffled through her hair. He then pulled back at looked at her, the first smile starting to lighten up his face since he came here.  
“Ice cream does sound good, but I need to have a shower first. I saw your face this morning.“ He chuckled to himself.   
Roxy grinned back at him.   
“I’m glad I didn’t have to say anything. By tomorrow I would have, though. Your clothes are already in the bathroom.“

While Eggsy was getting ready, Roxy had been going to the next grocery store and gotten them both their favourite sundaes. It was an ice-cream-bucket worthy night, and because she knew Harry had gotten Eggsy into red wine, she bought a couple of bottles too. Screw tomorrow’s meeting, Eggsy needed it, and if she was honest with herself, she too needed to vent, albeit of different issues.

She took the more picturesque route of the cobblestone street, breathing in the fresh air after the first summer rain. The soil had been waiting for it as well as Roxy. She had always liked the cooler temperatures, mugs and books ready. When she was younger the dreadful period that was called holidays would have to move over for autumn, when she could go back to her studies, leaving behind the socializing at her school’s programs. She had actually heard of Charlie before being in the same, well, ob interview at Kingsman, and this was another reason she was glad that she had always kept a low profile for those assholes.  
After a couple of minutes she arrived at the petite house with the matte green door. She had even bought flower boxes, for her cover, keeping prying neighbours away and also, although she wouldn’t tell anybody, for herself. She liked flowers, had learnt the latin names as a child, spending hours on putting her favourites between heavy books and gently arranging them in glass frames. Some of those frames had even made it to this house, a reminder of her private life that didn’t threaten it by showing pictures of her family.

Eggsy had already put two wine glasses on the table and fed her dog, who was by now slouching on the armchair. She sometimes thought how nice it would be to become a dog, if there was any form of yet unknown dimension. Specifically, she was a bit cocksure of herself; she would like to be her own dog.  
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!“, Eggsy exclaimed at the sight of the bottles and the ice cream. He even rose up from the couch to help her setting it all on the table, opening up the first bottle and generously pouring the wine for both of them.  
“For me it’s clear why I would need this treatment, but what about you, Rox? You know just because I’m at your place don’t mean that you can’t tell me about your troubles, right?“, he looked over at her, knowing that there had to be something she wasn’t telling.  
Roxy sighed and let herself sink back into the sofa while Eggsy handed her her glass. They knew each other too well for pretending, and she was actually very happy about that.  
“Fine, yes, there is something that’s bothering me.“ She took a sip of the wine. It was the French brand they had gotten drunk on when Roxy’s last relationship had fallen to pieces, torn by her constant excuses because of last-minute-missions. The mistrust had only grown worse since she couldn’t tell the truth, leading to her ex suspecting that there had to be another person. It had been a rather sad story and had let to Roxy not dating anyone seriously, not yet ready for herself to be as invested in someone like that again.

“You remember at the ball, which you left early for the dinner with Tilde’s parents? At the end of the night I talked to Harry. He had congratulated me on my teaching job and I’m not quite sure, but…“  
“But what?“, Eggsy asked curiously, sitting on the edge of the couch. Obviously, this topic had been enough to turn his attention away from his own dwelling.  
“He hinted that his own training, or rather specialty, once had been seduction too. I haven’t stopped wondering as to why he would tell me that.“ She sighed and shook her head. This one dream had turned into constant attraction, reawakening every time a hint of Harry Hart’s perfume lingered in a recently abandoned hallway at HQ. It wasn’t getting better with the fact that her schedule hadn’t allowed her to go out by herself lately, hunting for a night with a stranger, and her needs were calling.  
“I remember that he shortly mentioned something like that when we reached the final round of training“, Eggsy said, slowly recollecting the memories. His gaze had turned inwards, his forehead slightly wrinkled.   
“You know, when we both spent a bit of time with our mentors. But he quickly dismissed it. I mean…“ A thought seemed to strike Eggsy and he looked up at Roxy from his comfortable Eggsy-shaped dell in the sofa, and she knew what he was about to say with a cheeky grin. She already rolled her eyes at him.  
“Yes, Eggsy, of course my very attractive boss is finding me attractive as well. He also won’t have a problem with how this could undermine his recently voted-on position at the table.“  
“Come on Rox, there’s no denying that you are fucking hot. And don’t mind if I say that Harry himself is well fit and one fine gentleman. And as for the table, they have already voted. What are they going to do? “Sorry, Arthur, can’t just get laid by a beautiful woman if we’re not getting any““, Eggsy imitated someone very old, very posh and very stiff upper lipp. It had Roxy burst out in laughter, and Eggsy reached for the bottle to refill their glasses, giggling as well.  
“Sometimes you are truly terrible“, she replied, still giggling at his impression.  
“Yeah, and I also have a feeling that you maybe should try something. With a little help.“  
“You wouldn’t dare to manipulate this“, Roxy said, once again arching her eyebrow at him, trying to remember whether he knew her phone code.  
“Depends on how quickly you act on something that you obviously fancy and have been getting flirtatious signals from“, Eggsy dryly replied while reaching for the ice cream bucket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When is it finally time for the smut we all are waiting for, you wonder? Me too. This chapter is plot as well as leading up to a request from my first comment (!), because I had to build some context for that. Let's see what will happen in the next chapter. Fingers crossed that some action will be initiated.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just realized that while I've been delighted about every read, kudos, bookmark, comment, I haven't properly told you. So, here's me being incredibly thankful that you take your time to read this and leave any form of encouragement. I'm sure you know how great that is if you're around on this website.

“Welcome, gentlemen, to this briefing“, Merlin started their meeting. 

He stood next to Roxy, close to the screen on which he had already prepared an overview of the situation. Roxy tried to not give away her lack of sleep. Or the slight buzz right beneath her skull. Eggsy, who sat opposite her, looked just how she felt, although she herself hoped that she looked better than he felt. His dark under-eyes and slouched shoulders could also be seen as heartbreak giveaways though, and that was true as well. This morning, he had talked with Tilde, after going over various scenarios with Roxy again and again. Tilde had been the one requesting a break, that maybe afterwards they knew how to confront their problems. Eggsy himself had been wanting to propose that they talk to someone professional, but if Tilde needed her space first he was respecting that. Roxy suspected that this alternative wasn’t that bad for him either. As much as he wanted to save his relationship, he had confessed to feeling like he couldn’t breathe, like there were only two versions of him most of his days: the gentleman spy at work and the boyfriend at home. Tilde on the other hand found that their communication was flawed, and Roxy had gently tried to tell Eggsy that it wasn’t his fault for growing up with deeply twisted communication and relationship models. Hence, Eggsy had come up with the idea for professional help, and she was incredibly proud of him for pursuing this instead of acting like nothing had ever happened. 

“We have gathered information that links this gentleman“, Merlin pointed his long hand over to the screen, on which the image of a man in his early sixties appeared, “to an illegal arms deal circle. He is well-known as a supplier among other faces, and disappointingly, these circles lead to old money and the resulting impact on politics.“  
The next slide showed the impeccably dressed man at Kingsman Tailors.  
“Luckily, we have managed to get him to frequent our tailoring business, which has given us enough opportunity to infiltrate his clothing with bugs. We are also in the lucky position of him being delighted with those services that are known to him“, at which point Merlin couldn’t hide a dry little smile, “that he has requested the tailoring business’ owner at his next gala diner.“  
Merlin showed them the next slide, an estate nothing short of Kingsman HQ, and a giant ballroom afterwards. It was followed by an outline of the building’s first floor as seen from above. Merlin had highlighted two rooms, one in close proximity to the ballroom, the other on the same hallway but further away.   
“In order to handle him over to the relevant and uncompromised authorities, we need to gather information about the flights, what each of those airplanes transport and when they will land within their destinations. That way, customs will guarantee to intercept before those weapons ever get into the wrong hands.“  
Merlin turned towards the table.  
“Gentleman, everyone except for Galahad, Lancelot and Arthur may turn their glasses off now, as the rest of you already have missions assigned. Gawain, I will get back to you after this briefing.“ Merlin nodded into the direction of a fading image.

Roxy looked over at Eggsy, who tiredly smiled at her. She smiled back. She wasn’t sure whether a mission would take his mind off of his thoughts or overwork him, but maybe a little distraction was at least a bit of a change. Today, he was driving over to Tilde’s, getting his stuff and temporarily moving in with Roxy. Their dogs got along great and she had actually kind of missed him after training was over. Of course, she would have hoped for different circumstances for him becoming her roommate.  
“Now“, Merlin turned towards the three of them in their respective seats, “we carefully have to choose who will attend the ball. Since we now have the luxury of a female Kingsman as well, I’d suggest that Lancelot will definitely attend as the plus-one, since our target assigns himself with conservative values. This will rise the least suspicion within the alternatives, which only leaves us with who should be our owner.“  
Merlin exchanged views with Harry and Eggsy before continuing to show them a close-up of the man. He had barely opened his mouth when Eggsy interrupted him, clearing his throat and blushing slightly.  
“I believe I am not suitable for this mission“, he began, and Roxy was not the only known looking at him with arched eyebrows.  
“Look, it’s just that while he was being tailored I was attending a briefing and I wasn’t wearing my suit, I was wearing my leisure clothes and he already raised an eyebrow at me. Suppose he doesn’t think someone who looks like me, with my sneakers and all, should be in such a posh shop. Not that this bothers me, but I think he might have memorized me. I wouldn’t want to draw any attention to myself or the mission.“  
“That does sound reasonable“, Merlin said, trailing off in thought and then focusing again. “While I don’t think he would surely connect ye to this store, I would like to play it safe. There’s no need for unnecessary danger. These people look better than they are, that’s for sure.“  
Roxy felt Eggsy’s eyes resting on her and looking up, she suddenly realized what this meant. She would attend a high-society ball with Harry, posing as at least dating, which inescapably would bring along acting as a couple as well. One didn’t bring a plus-one to these circles when one was still within the first months of a relationship. She still knew that from growing up within an open-minded, yet still tradition-valuing family.  
She didn’t have the time to look over to Harry, as Merlin was already continuing, typing into his pad.  
“Alright, then that’s been settled too. Lancelot, meet with me later today for your background story. Arthur, we already have some aliases for you prepared that weren’t used on other missions. I’ll talk you through one after this briefing. I’ll send each of you a detailed plan of the building for memorizing. The diner is this week, a short-notice invitation, so you two better get ready. That would be all for today.“   
Finally looking up from his pad, which at times seemed as mysterious and magical as if he was holding an actual wand, Merlin nodded as a goodbye and left the room. He didn’t ask if there were any questions. There never were, because his work was precise, pragmatic and on point. Also, there were the information he sent via encrypted mail that never spared a detail.

“I’m looking forward to working our first mission“, Harry politely said to Roxy while standing up as well. While pushing back the chair, he continued:  
“I’m terribly sorry, but my new position has left me with all this nonsense administrative work, so if you’ll excuse me“, following Merlin for said work and the information on his alias.

The door closed behind them and Roxy released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. That for sure was an interesting turn. She hadn’t anticipated to see Harry work in the field so soon, knowing just how good he was at what they were all doing; him staying alive until now was enough proof. Of course, there was also the coincidence of the timing of this mission. Eggsy interrupted her brooding.  
“At least one of us is having some fun“, he winked at her.  
Roxy snorted. “Come on, Eggsy, this is real now, not just some silly dream or crush.“  
“I’m just saying that this might not be the worst thing happening“, he replied while throwing up his hands in defense. “You know, you don’t have to be concerned about nothing. It might just be a work night. From what I think it doesn’t have to just be.“  
Roxy put up her hands to cover her face, leaning her elbows against the solid wooden table that had seen Kingsman agents come and go over all these years. Eggsy was right, technically: Nothing was bound to happen. Classical dancing, flirting with the right people as the attractive plus-one, making high-society small-talk. She could do that. Somehow, though, she felt more excitement than she would have going on this mission with someone else.   
“Even if“, she started, and Eggsy curiously leaned in, “even if something might be happening, there are two thoughts I’m having. One, although this isn’t a problem per se, there is a certain age difference. Two, technically, he’s my boss, he’s our boss.“   
Eggsy was clearly eager to tell her what he was thinking, so she just told him: “Alright, shoot.“  
“I can see where this comes from, but for the age gap: Rox, I’ve seen people in relationships with an age difference both ways who were just very happy, and I’ve seen people born the same year in very toxic relationships. Think my mum and Dean; they are even born within the same month. Don’t mean any of that shite is healthy. Of course, there’s always the other way round, too. But you’re smart, you know what you want. If it works, it works, you know?“ He genuinely smiled at her, an infectious warmth meaning to show her he truly believed what he’d just said. It made Roxy relax her shoulders, letting go of the tension she hadn’t noticed sitting there since the assignment of the new mission.  
“And what about the work relationship?“, she asked, knowing that this would be more complicated. Meanwhile they had both risen from their chairs, wandering off to the front door of the room.  
“That’s a bit tough, I’ll admit that. But there’s only so much that you can plan in your head, right?“, Eggsy replied thoughtfully, knowing of Roxy’s tendency to overthink. They balanced each other out in regard of certain qualities. Eggsy sometimes acted before thinking something through, Roxy was sometimes unsure of which scenario to choose and rely on.  
“I’ll take that advice“, Roxy said while opening up the door, but looking back at Eggsy.  
“By the way, I brought you my spare key, since you’re officially moving in w- “  
She unintentionally nearly bumped into Harry, who had just been opening up the door from the other side and mindful enough to just about sway out of the way.  
“Excuse me, I must have left my phone in here somewhere. Ah, there it is“, he said while hurrying to his seat at the end of the room and back again, passing the two of them yet again.  
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but congratulations on moving in together. I’d just like to take any worries off your mind. While we don’t consider us a matchmaking service, we don’t hold anything against workplace relationships. I’ve wanted to make make stance clear on that as this policy has been changed after me predecessor’s“, he paused just a little too much before the next word, “unfortunate sudden death.“  
With that, Harry Hart had quickly walked through the door, rushing back to wherever he had been coming from.

“That“, Eggsy said, while Roxy still looked at him slightly perplexed, “might just be about to become a very big misunderstanding.“  
The slightest hint of mysterious dark perfume hovered in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't we all curious now what will happen at this ball? Well, I am, at least. Unfortunately, it will take at least a week for the next chapter as I am occupied.   
> You know the rest, if there's any idea, thought, etc, let me know down below.
> 
> Have a lovely week!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little note: as this fic keeps getting longer, I might change the title and the description. Just so you know if you'd like to continue reading!

The big day had come sooner than later, research and briefings and getting to know her alias taking up much more time than anticipated. Dancing around a ballroom might at first seem like one of the easier tasks, but it required an incredibly specific amount of thorough preparation. Did she still remember the required dancing steps that her alias would know in her sleep? What was her favourite waltz? Would it be in character for Harry to ask her for a dance or would it be more like her alias to cheekily request his attention while in conversation with someone else? Which hem length would be appropriate? Which colour would make her catch the eye of the host but still let her blend with the masses if necessary? Favourite food, favourite drink, favourite pet name her date could say if the situation arose. What was the key word for which situation? Where were the exits in case they needed them? Where would they meet if necessary? How much time would she wait for Harry if separated, depending on whom had the stick with the required information? Which small talk topics would be hers, which ones should she better avoid to lure the host into the false sense of security that while not just a pretty face, she didn’t pose a threat, was more the accessory than an equally and deathly trained partner. 

There hadn’t been the time to clarify the misunderstanding. She had met Harry at work for quickly going over points they had to discuss together, but his new position and her own workload meant that they were both in a hurry. To be honest, Roxy also didn’t know how to approach the topic without being awkward. How did you tell your latest partner that hey, actually, I’m very single and not in a relationship, just, you know, well? She had already cringed enough saying that when Eggsy had made her try to act as if he were Harry, an attempt to solve the misunderstanding and supporting her. 

In between working, sleeping and working, she hadn’t seen that much of Eggsy. Thankfully he was keeping up with the dogs, slightly spoiling them to keep himself occupied. Once she had come home to find him asleep on the couch, a movie still running, Aglaea draping her long limbs right over over him while JB drooled his saliva on Eggsy’s chest. It had made her heart melt just a little and for memories’ sake, she had taken a photo of the moment. Yesterday, Eggsy had gotten note from Merlin that he was to assist him while there were no missions available. Even the bad guys took a summer break, as well as some of the Kingsman staff. Roxy always had to laugh at the image in her head, agents and criminals relaxing at the same hidden hotel in their off-time. Both jobs couldn’t just take their time off at any resort, because it might spoil a further mission by accident, their face recognisable to someone they didn’t know yet. So, Merlin was planning on taking Eggsy under his wings, which would also help establish someone from his background with the more reserved agents of Chester‘s mindset. Merlin had figured that listening to Eggsy nonstop for up to weeks of undercover work would have to break the ice, eventually. It had made Eggsy speak in even higher respect of Harry, who had suggested the constellation. 

Roxy closed off that thought and looked at the mirror. Keeping the traditional values in mind that the target aligned himself with, she had chosen to wear a dress, not her bespoke suit. It would draw more attention in these circles. The dress was bulletproof as well, yet it still meant more unprotected areas specifically around the neck. This time she had chosen, or rather the mission’s tailors that were incredibly well versed in what was appropriate when and where, a long, darkish blue dress. Some of the hem lines, especially around the neck and the bottom line, were decorated with tiny diamonds, breaking the light flowing over her. Somehow they had also managed to sew in actual diamonds into the dress, making it a nearly transcendent vision. Her hair was in a simple yet elegant bun, appropriate makeup around her eyes. She wasn’t wearing her glasses, as it might draw suspicion to seeing them with the exact model sitting on their noses. However, Merlin had developed an implant for her ear as well as a microphone hidden within several of the hemlines, so that they’d still be able to communicate. Within her heel she would find an USB stick or a poisoned dagger, depending on what the situation called for. 

_________________________________________________________

Harry and Roxy got out of the Oldtimer they had taken out of the Kingsman archive. They hadn't gotten to more profound topics than workplace talk, regarding the many changes Harry had already silently introduced as the new Arthur. It had also made Roxy feel safe, as she was unsure of private topics to discuss with Harry. He generally liked to make the conversation about his partner, a gentlemanly habit that at the same time made him an infuriatingly mysterious man. There was no use in taking the cab, as it could have been traced back to them and an oldtimer fit the cover of the silent tailor appreciating the luxurious things in life. Harry would be introduced as Mr Henry Rothshield, which was close enough to his actual surname if the host was insisting on too many drinks. Roxy would be called Rose Harrington. They had talked about ground rules - they wouldn’t need to display their affection overly in the upper-class crowd they’d spend the night with, but holding hands, hands on hips and terms of endearment were the basics. At the right time Roxy would go in search for the ladies’ room, but actually looking for the closer of the two rooms. If they were lucky she only needed to go in there. Harry was supposed to draw the attention to himself and thus shielding her, the plus-one, from missing calls. 

Along the ride they had made polite small talk, Harry being delighted to finally go outside without the cane. He was wearing his glasses with the scar being covered by black glass, and Roxy hesitated asking him what it was like to him. She was still considering if it was appropriate to ask him about it when the car came to a halt in front of the mansion.  
“Well, Miss Harrington”, Harry said with a dry smirk, “may I invite you to this magnificent night with truly terrible people?”  
Roxy smiled back at him, feeling that the smile was genuine, letting her eyes in as well.  
“I am delighted to attend as your plus-one, Mr Rothshield.”  
Roxy reached out to take hold of Harry’s hand and together they made their way to the entrance, putting on their alias’ smiles and wondrous looks. The firm yet tender touch of Harry’s hands against hers sent tiny waves over her entire body, which Roxy was sure to be caused by the adrenaline rushing through her. Getting closer to the door, Harry’s hand slipped away from hers and instead came to a rest in the small of her back. The light touch of his fingertips was immediately brought to her mind, little warm centers establishing themselves like fingerprint sensors on her back. Almost immediately she straightened her back, unconsciously arching against Harry’s guidance as to get more of the touch. 

They arrived at the guarded entrance.  
“Good evening. My name is Henry Rothshield, Kingsman tailors. I was invited personally by the host”, Harry introduced himself. Then he gestured at Roxy with his free hand.  
“And this is my plus-one for the evening.”  
Roxy looked up at him with an adoring smile and then let her gaze drift to the security guard who gave both of them a look-over. When he looked at Roxy Harry, in character already as well, pulled her ever so slightly closer so that their frames were just touching. It was enough to show the guard what type of man Henry Rothshield was. They had to blend in with the others on the inside.  
It was also enough for Roxy to smell Harry’s dark perfume once again, this time mixed with his odour. It made her lower body shiver in anticipation, a reaction that could be seen as in character with Rose, but Roxy cursed herself. Too much attention, and too many... personal matters. It was simply the thrill of being out on a mission again, she was sure of that. She hadn’t gotten out much lately anyways. 

They made their way to the main floor, on which a couple was already dancing to the distant classical music. Waiters wandered around, carrying little trays of drinks and canapés. Small groups of chatting people were scattered among the room, a giant chandelier bathing them all in warm, appealing light. Harry bent down to her, to bystanders appearing to whisper some sweet compliment in her ear.  
“There’s a guard covered as a guest right next to the door which you’d need to get through. If I remember correctly there’s an alternative way, but I’d rather we take a look around first.”  
He drew back from her ear, Roxy managing to force a slight blush, Harry in return acting, giving her a smooth smile.  
Roxy leaned in to him as well, as if to maybe tell him something more promising for the end of the night:  
“Take me for a dance. They’re playing slow waltz, us turning around the room should give us enough opportunity to look around.”  
“Nice plan, you both”, Merlin came in over their headphones. They could hear him taking a sip from his coffee mug and this time, they were actually smiling at each other, Harry implying the slightest roll of his eye, Roxy hiding her snicker.  
“Ye know that I can still see Roxy’s face, so if you’re making fun of your handler you should hide it better”, came in the immediate response. “Let me see if anything else will stay in the way.”

Meanwhile Harry had guided Roxy to the floor, and they were switching into waltzing position. Roxy had attended dancing lessons when she was younger, and Harry naturally assumed his stance as well. They were making a decent pair, Roxy thought to herself. Pulling her in as close to him as a couple would be expected of, she came to rest her left Hand on Harry’s arm, ever so slightly feeling the muscles move beneath the fabric. His right hand had assumed position on her back, gently yet steadily placing it on the delicate dress. Their right and left hand respectively had intertwined, his callouses slightly rough from hours spent holding guns, keeping fit and working his way out physically of tricky situations. Standing this close to her partner also meant that Roxy had to suddenly concentrate hard on actually looking over Harry’s shoulder, appearing dreamily but actually measuring the room in her mind. It was nothing, she thought to herself. She simply hadn’t been on these types of mission of late, and it absolutely didn’t have to do with the silent calling of Harry’s presence. 

Faint static crackled in her ear and suddenly, she listened to an all too familiar voice.  
“Rox! Don’t say anything because I’m technically not supposed to talk to you, but Merlin’s gone to the loo and I figured why not. Oh, it’s Eggsy”, Eggsy said.  
Roxy had to suppress rolling her eyes and breathing out slowly. This was a potentially dangerous mission, and she was not in the right mood for Eggsy’s bored banter. However, she couldn’t just take down the communications device, meaning she was slightly stuck with him now. She figured he already knew that.  
“Don’t mean to boast but Merlin said I’ve been learning quickly. He let me take the dogs here as well. Turns out he has one as well, although he doesn’t let me see his soft spot just yet. Anyways -“  
“Gentlemen”, Merlin was back, and from the way Harry ever so slightly raised his head as if to listen better, Roxy could see that now they were both getting the information instead of Eggsy’s banter.  
“There is another way ‘round the floor next to the one we planned with. Lancelot, this should go just as smoothly. Ye are lucky that there is an actual ladies‘ room, although it’s a privately used one, so any security guard should be won over by your alias‘ charme and urgent need.“

They took another turn, waltzing seemingly dreamily to the slow music, Roxy spotting the entrance she was now supposed to take unguarded. Something didn’t feel right. It would be stupid to already leave the second entrance like that, and their target wasn’t stupid. She’d have to pay extra attention to her acting and silent self-defense. Harry came to a halt, moving in even closer, whispering to her:  
„Everybody seems to be entertained. I’ll make my way through to the host and some other groups, showing my face around. You’ll be excused, but don’t take too long. I can only play them that long.“ He pulled back after placing a gentle kiss on her cheek, and her heart rate went off. No, Roxy thought to herself, mission first. Remember your training, remember what you taught the students.  
Harry looked into her eyes, searching for the silent approval for more of these small but important signs of adoration, and she ever so slightly nodded. Mission first, she told herself again.

Together, they trailed off to the canapés, talking about tailoring business so that any bystander would think they were only working in this segment. Another tray of glasses was walked by and Harry smoothly took two glasses of champagne, offering Roxy one and apparently absently putting a lose strand of hair behind her ear in one motion.  
“Damn”, Eggsy came in over her headphones, “I can only see Harry’s visuals but I can tell you, that was smooth.“  
Roxy was this close to telling him to shut up, but pulled herself together. Trying her hardest to forget Eggsy and to not pay too much attention to Harry’s tender touch, she nearly downed the sparkles in her glass, covering the bubbly feeling of Harry’s presence with the bubbles of the champagne. It worked. Well, at least she could pretend that it was the alcohol now. 

„Now“, came in Merlin‘s voice. It was the only word he needed to say for Roxy to put back her glass at another tray. Then she turned back to Harry, pulling his attention to her by resting her hand on his arm:  
“Dear, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back“, with Harry smiling back at her and answering:  
“Then I’ll search for the host and thank him for the thoughtful invitation.“ 

They went their separate ways shortly after one another, Roxy gliding through the crowds like she had done so many times in her life before, trained at family events and school and meetings of posh proud people. She reached the second entrance in no time, any follower losing sight of her in between the abundance of sparkly dresses and their wearers. Without glancing backwards Roxy slipped through the halfway closed door, recognizing the floor‘s layout from the meetings with Merlin. Silently, she strutted down the floor until she reached the right door.  
“Lancelot, keep me updated. I can’t see yer surroundings, so you have to rely on yourself a tad more. Good luck“, came Merlin in over her audio transplant.  
“I’m about to enter the first room. Let’s hope they’ve left enough information in here”, Roxy replied in a whisper, having closed the door behind her and adapting to the darkness of the office in front of her. Nothing unusual was displayed, bookshelves and the smell of old leather floating through the air, a modern laptop sitting in the middle of the hand carved desk. Roxy traced her finger beneath the rim, looking for bugs beneath the smooth mahogany, and quickly sat down. The USB stick was gently removed from her heel, plugged into the laptop, and Merlin gave a satisfied grunt.  
“Well done, Lancelot. Let’s see what exactly they’ve saved on here.”  
“Merlin, you need to see this”, came in Eggsy’s voice. He didn’t seem as relaxed as before and apparently was now transmitting to all of them. Roxy could hear hectic fingers typing and Merlin cursed in Scottish.  
The download had reached over 90% by now.  
“Arthur, you’ll need to back up Lancelot. They’ve sensed an activation in the security system that I hadn’t seen before. Arthur, I’ll handle you. Lancelot, Eggsy will take care of ye.”  
“Rox, how far is the download?”, Roxy heard Eggsy’s voice instead of Merlin’s. She sensed the tenseness in his voice, nothing left of his playful banter from before. It gave her quite a queasy feeling. It wasn’t like Eggsy to sound like that.  
The download was finishing in that moment, and breathing out, trying to keep calm, she put the stick back into her heel.  
“Just finished, Eggsy. Now what?”  
“Now you need to go to the second room at the original floor. They’ve encrypted their data and we need more to actually be able to access it. There will be a guard coming down the floor, around the corner of the loo, remember?”, Eggsy quickly informed her of what to do next.  
Roxy nodded and then remembered that he couldn’t see her visuals, so she told him okay. 

Smoothly, she went out of the room. Just as she was putting her hand on the door knob, a male voice asked her:  
“Can I help you, Miss?”  
Already before turning around, Roxy had put on her best ‘I’m so lost and I’m just a pretty lady in need of help’ smile, big brown eyes appealing to the guard standing in front of her. His tone had been polite, but also made it unmistakably clear that she was not where she was supposed to be.  
“I’m terribly sorry, I was searching for the ladies’ room and must have gotten lost. It’s a bit embarrassing, but would you mind showing me the way?”, she asked him in an effort to make him turn his back to her. The guard looked her up and down, and then decided that this petite lady in her flowing dress couldn’t be the threat he’d been told about. It was always the same, Roxy thought to herself. People still underestimated her. It was ridiculously useful for her missions, but at the same time, it was just that: ridiculous.  
“Come with me”, he told her and turned his broad back to her.  
“If you think about electrocuting him do it before the loo. They won’t find him there as quickly as in the office”, came in Eggsy’s voice over the headphones.  
Roxy couldn’t give him her sign of approval via audio, so she simply hoped Eggsy knew her well enough for this mission. She needed to have a word about this lack of communication when she got back. Meanwhile, she had already prepared her signature ring to give the guard in front of her a nice shock, enough to keep him sedated, not enough to knock him out completely.  
They quickly reached the ladies’ room, and the guard just turned around to her to gesture to the door when Roxy took a quick step towards him, seemingly approaching him gallivantly. He didn’t feel threatened by her. He’d have to rethink this approach next time.  
The muffled sound of crackling static and a heavy body collapsing reached Eggsy as well.  
“Well done, Rox. Think you can dispose him in the loo?“  
“Already doing that“, Roxy grunted back, pulling the guard by his shoulders into the loo and putting him in position, so that he wouldn’t choke on his own vomit. She checked her image in the mirror, looking for any suspicious hint that she was actually responsible for the security breach. Luckily, so far nothing had messed up her appearance.  
“The floors are connected, so you should reach the second room in about 20 meters, after turning right on the corner, okay?“, Eggsy asked. Roxy nodded at her own reflection.  
“I’ve got your movements on the map now too. Took a bit to activate them“, he informed her, his voice giving away that he had cursed himself for not working as fastly as Merlin would. She’d tell Eggsy he was doing good when she got back, but now was not the time. She quickly and quietly left the loo, reaching the second room without any disruption. Roxy wondered what exactly Harry was doing to protect the mission and their covers from being blown, but at least it apparently meant that the guards were not in her area of work. She pushed aside the thought, focusing on the laptop that sat on a broader desk than in the other room, and closed the entrance behind her.  
Hopefully this download would go just as smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger? Yes, absolutely.  
> I didn't exactly plan that, but this chapter kept getting longer and longer so I wanted to keep up the suspense. I already have ideas, but please let me know what your guesses are and what you'd like to see happening!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kudos and comments!

Roxy sat down behind the laptop. The polished wood reflected the surface light, and the dimmed light from the floor made the outlines of furniture and books alike seeable. She quickly retracted the USB stick from her heel, pushing it in the right way on the first try, and sat back. Eggsy came through on her earpiece again.  
“Well done, Rox. Merlin’s just hacking into the system. Keep quiet in there“, he said and exhaled a shivering breath himself. The download started a couple of seconds after that. She had to leave it to Merlin - he was the best at hacking she’d ever met and probably would meet. However, it didn’t feel good to just sit and stare at the screen. Adrenaline pumped through her, her heart giving a beat to her body that let the seconds go over achingly slowly. Roxy decided to stand up, positioning herself near the door frame. That way she could ensure that whoever would come in in search for her was definitely not getting near that laptop. She breathed in and out, remembering breathing exercises to calm herself and not give away too much movement in the air. A sense of concentrated calm flooded her, as if she were at the centre of a hurricane. The dusty smell of old books untouched reached her senses, the heavy hand-woven rug silencing her steps while she found her fighting stance.

Suddenly, she heard steps approaching the door from the other side. The door handle was pressed down and just before the door was opened, just before she hit the guard coming through the door, she heard an urgent shout from Eggsy:  
“Don’t!“, was all that came through the line, and if it had been a second later Roxy might have very well knocked out Harry Hart.  
Freezing in her movements, Harry, who was not surprised to find her there, quickly closed the door behind him and remained in this exact position, listening if another pair of footsteps on the hard and wooden floor outside of the office could be heard. He turned his head to Roxy and silently put a finger over his lips, indicating that this was not the moment for questions. She slowly released her breath, standing mere inches apart from him and not daring to move. Without question, Harry had been fighting. His hair was tousled, and the tiniest splash of blood was weirdly highlighting his cheekbone. His glasses were ever so slightly off, his collar not sitting the way it had been ironed to do, the tie slightly coming out of his jacket. He was still out of breath, a warm breeze hastily passing Roxy’s hands.  
After what seemed to take hours but was only seconds, he nodded to her, and both left their tense positions, relaxing just a bit. Roxy quickly went over to the laptop. The download was still going on, taking more time than the first one. She looked up to Harry while talking to their handlers:  
“Are we good, Eggsy? Merlin?“, she whispered.  
“I’m working on it, Lancelot. Arthur made sure that the rest of the guards wouldn’t get to ye, but their absence will be suspicious if this goes on much longer“, Merlin replied. Roxy hated these situations. There was nothing she could do to quicken the download, and nothing to not raise more suspicion. They were simply stuck in this office until their time came to smoothly go back, make another appearance as to not startle the host with their overlapping absence and then leave after a polite amount of time.  
She searched for Harry’s gaze and signed him if he was okay. He quickly nodded back, using a tissue to wipe the dash of blood from his cheekbone while trying to straighten his collar. One-handedly, he barely succeeded, so Roxy made her way over to him. It was normal mission behaviour to help each other out with appearances. Their covers could be blown by small details rather than anything big, and especially today, they would have to make an absolutely normal appearance at the ballroom.  
It shouldn’t be a big deal for her.  
She hesitated for a moment, just a bit too long, looking at this imperfect Harry who had calmed his breathing. If he had been attractive before, with his parted hair, tall appearance and bespoke suit, this was for some reason even more alluring to her. His warm eyes had darkened, giving room to the danger and precision that resided within him, and for a second Roxy felt like she looked at the eyes of a hunting animal that just knew how to score perfectly. That moment was gone as quickly as it had come, with Harry looking down to fold his handkerchief and stuff it back appropriately. Merlin raised his voice again.  
“Ye shouldn’t relax too much. There’s two guards coming round the corner, right to the office. You’ll need an element of surprise in order to gain enough time to sedate them.“  
The footsteps were already hearable even within the office. Polished shoes hit hard against the floor, reflecting their wearers’ character and hinting that they were carrying heavily. This was not a good situation, and not just because of potential weapons. The had to work quick and silently and within this room full of books standing around, making no sound fighting armed guards that were likely to wear earpieces wouldn’t be exactly easy.  
Heavy steps came to a halt in front of the door.  
Roxy held her breath and directly looked at Harry, standing opposite of her, both of them halfway between the desk with the open laptop and the door behind Harry’s back.  
Within this lengthy second they both suddenly received an order from Merlin. It wasn’t a long sentence. It was rather short and precise:  
“Plan C“, he simply said calmly in his Scottish accent.

The C in Plan C stood for couple. Kingsman for a long time had only operated with men and in decades in which same-sex relations had been punishable, but even so, Plan C had withstood all of that by simply guaranteeing an element of surprise. Plan C could also be performed with about anyone and anywhere, which made its use wonderfully simple. Even the odd hook-up alibi in some worn-down place could be the partner in Plan C without ever knowing of their assistance to the mission.  
Right now, there were two agents in the room both knowing what Merlin was hinting at.  
There was no time to think.

As the handle was pressed down and before the door had opened, Harry had pushed Roxy back against the table. She put her hands behind her, shutting down the laptop screen knowing Merlin could still continue working, while Harry pushed up the dress around her thighs. Roxy sharply inhaled as his fingers gently slid over her knees and up her inner thighs, trying to ignore that while his hands stopped before her underwear, the tickling sensation of Harry’s touch didn’t, heading straight for deeper parts. As the tingle rose up her spine, she automatically arched her back, coming as close to his face as possible without their lips touching. His scent was by now hovering all around her, a memory of this dark glimpse in his now dilated pupils, and Roxy thankfully didn’t have to resist it right now. Harry was pulling out strands of her hair to match his tousled bed-head, and just before the floor light shone on them, Roxy took the action to herself. She bridged the last two millimeters between them by putting her legs around Harry and pulling him in, their bodies colliding, muscles beneath the fabric tense and ready to fight. Even the rhythm of Harry’s heart palpitated through the layers of his suit, hitting his ribs unforgivably and mercilessly. His long hands found their way to her back, pressing her tightly against him, so that the fabric of her dress was pressed between her thighs. The sensation darted through her body, making her feet twitch at Harry’s back and putting her hands behind his neck, in his tousled hair, nearly forgetting to bring her watch into position.

The door opened, and Harry didn’t smoothly go in for a kiss but nearly crashed on her lips with an intensity one only experienced from the adrenaline high on mission. It was exactly what was needed for Plan C in this exact moment, and it was exactly what Roxy’s nearly overly expecting body wanted. She pressed his head even closer to hers, biting at his lip, making him involuntarily push forward with his whole body. The slightest stubble roughly ran over her face as Harry started to kiss her for good, his tongue bidding for entrance by swirling teasingly in between her lips, changing it up by sucking at the now lowered bottom lip. Meanwhile his right hand had wandered around to rest on her inner thigh, a rough thumb lazily caressing the delicate skin just right beside where her panties started, grazing a bit of her soft pubic hair.

Roxy could see how this man had been fulfilling his seduction missions. 

She thought of herself as a decent enough match too, countering his movements smoothly and with a passion that wasn’t all just for show. Heat radiated from both of them, and Roxy noticed that her nipples were rubbing against fabric, stimulation lying in the distant pain.   
The door was opened completely, the light over their heads switched on and it cast a warm, golden shimmer on the scenery. As if they were just caught red-handed in some private room at a posh party, Roxy hid her face fake-giggling to Harry’s chest while Harry mimed the sly gentleman, half-turning around to take a look at the intruders. It gave Merlin an overview as well, and both Eggsy and him simultaneously said:  
“Now!“, causing Roxy to tap nonchalantly at her watch. It had been engineered to work for multiple people instead of firing just once, which allowed her to now take down both guards discreetly. Before any of them could take any further action, the sedative had worked its way all over their bodies, and two very big guys fell down on the carpet very inelegantly. The rug covered up most of the falling sound.  
Roxy still sat on the table, legs all around Harry, who still had his hands around her back. For a couple of seconds, both just looked at what could have been a nasty fight and was instead very much, well, not even a fight per se. It even felt a bit unfulfilled with all the adrenaline running through her body, and she tried not to pay too much attention to what else was on her mind right now. That was not that easy, however, because that was the body still pressed against hers, it was the odor still pulling her in even closer than physically possible, it was the peppermint breath she’d just tasted and the warming feeling that had started to take a hold in her lower abdomen and which she’d very much like to explore.  
“Nice work. Now ye should head back to the ballroom“, Merlin came in again, interrupting Roxy’s rather unprofessional thoughts.  
“Bloody hell“, was all that Eggsy could add, his relief very much hearable.  
That seemed to remind Harry of what he was thinking to be true and while Roxy still hadn’t tried to move away from him, Harry suddenly cleared his throat and pulled himself out of their embrace.  
“Good work, Lancelot“, Harry said while straightening his outfit, and the use of her codename brought Roxy back to the room while it also put a wall between them. She was more taken aback by Harry’s mere professionalism than she would have thought, but quickly got off the desk, saving her hair-do and bringing in the physical distance between them she had suddenly heard in Harry’s voice.  
“I’ve got the stick covered“, she said in a steady voice, but didn’t look up to search for Harry’s gaze. It felt weird now, and just like that their Plan C making out had turned from promisingly hot to incredibly awkward. Thankfully, the screen showed that the download was completed, so Roxy pulled out the stick and placed it within her heal. Looking up, she saw that Harry had dragged both men into a darker corner of the room, so that they’d be able to close the door behind them.  
Harry had looked up from his side of the room as well, suit straightened out, hair decently sorted and glasses sitting straight on his nose. He almost seemed to fight his own body, a hidden awkwardness leaking out of his movement as he unnecessarily repositioned his glasses and cleared his throat again.  
“Well, - “, he started, and Roxy, for whom the atmosphere had by now nearly become unbearable, had just started with   
“So, I -“. Another second passed by, and just as Roxy moved to the door and towards Harry, because they still had to get to the bloody ballroom, she heard Eggsy’s voice again.  
“Swear down, that’s bloody awkward“, was all he said, and both Roxy and Harry winced at that sentence, albeit for a number of different reasons.  
Roxy very much wanted the ground to just swallow her up instead of waltzing through a grand room with Harry, who apparently wasn’t as turned as she had been, and who thought she was in a closed relationship with Eggsy.

Wonderful. It was all just wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes, miscommunication. Let's see how this proceeds, shall we?  
> Also, it might be a week until the next chapter. You know the rest, any ideas and suggestions you may happily leave down below. Have a lovely week!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please apologize my delay. Exams month has taken over as well as a bit of 'how do I get from this idea to this other idea without being illogical', but I'm hopeful that there'll be at least another chapter this month! Enough of me, enjoy!

“Shall we?“, Harry asked quietly, hand extended politely, and Roxy took it. At least it couldn’t get any more messed up than this on a personal level, she thought, while Harry’s rough hand smoothly took leadership of hers. Discreetly, they left for the ballroom, walking close enough together as to not appear suspicious. Roxy’s heart was still pumping her blood too quickly, the excitement of having gained the needed information mixing with this moloch that seemed to bloody draw her to Harry. Harry was looking as relaxed as if he’d just been enjoying a consecutive week of sauna for all it mattered, seemingly confident with his younger date by his side.  
“You’ll be able to use your disrupted appearance for your early leave“, Merlin came in over their headphones again. The careless chatter of the party had only grown in volume, fuelled by the drinks still being walked by the employees, and was flooding the floor Harry and Roxy were walking. Throwing him a side-glance, Roxy agreed: Harry’s tie was still off, if only ever-so-slightly, and there was a slight hand-shaped ruffle on his shirt from where she had shoved it away from his body. As for herself, she could feel a rebellious strand of hair that hadn’t stayed in her up-do. It might actually cover them better than just blending them with the crowd; a slight amount of embarrassment and some laddy banter on Harry’s part and they would fit right into the host’s world of powerful men taking what they liked.

The ballroom was right around the corner and Harry grabbed her hand, back straightening, reclaiming the position of his alias. A lively group was covering them from being seen sneaking back into the ballroom, and Roxy just managed to mingle with the ladies after grabbing two glasses of champagne from a tray and pushing one to Harry without even looking at his direction. Roxy only listened half-heartedly to the story of how one girl had already thrown up in the car driving them to the first bar of her bachelorette’s night, but she did notice her friend giving Roxy an appreciative glance up- and downwards. Harry had noticed too, and miming his alias winked back at the lady while leaning down to Roxy’s ear, seemingly to tell her to go along with her new friend. His evening stubble brushed against her cheekbone and he pressed a lingering kiss behind her earlobe, before whispering:  
“That’s the perfect cover for my, well, I think they call it lockerroom talk. I’ll just tell the host that I’m having some other thoughts for tonight than simply dancing. Have fun.“  
With that and a claiming hand slipping quickly over her butt, manners seemingly loosened up by the alcohol, Harry stalked over to another group of gentlemen. Roxy lingered on his back for a moment. The muscular frame was not as clear as with more prominent members of the party, but knowing how elegant Harry’s lean muscles worked for him and the straight back he kept accentuated his hidden deadliness. She shook her head and turned around with a smile when soft fingers grazed her wrist.  
“Is that your husband?“, a warm voice slightly lulled in her ear. The black-haired friend of the storyteller had swapped her place in the group with another lady. Her curvy body was well-dressed in a velvety red dress with a gold-adorned cleavage, her other hand maneuvering a brightly coloured cocktail with a sugar rum and some feathered flamingo on top. It was a curious contrast to her clothing that seemed to have the word “money“ sewn into it.  
Roxy leaned into her, soft lips nearly grazing the other woman’s, and slurred as if slightly drunk herself: “Even then it wouldn’t mean that I wasn’t allowed to have some fun, now“, and then giggled and took another sip of her champagne. She knew this woman better than the woman knew herself: if she was drunk she would make the advances she was longing for, and what apparently wasn’t deemed alright for her background. So Roxy picked up the game, letting it be close but playful enough for her friend of the hour.

She was just about to suggest to go in search of the loo when a familiar hand settled on the small of her back, and with an apologizing smile she leaned back, stepping closer to Harry.  
“I’m terribly sorry“, Harry said with an amused glance, “but maybe you could have this conversation another time.“ Nodding appreciatively at the woman, who had flushed a colour matching her dress, Harry took Roxy’s hand, making them a way through the crowds until they reached the main entrance.  
“Smooth work. Now get back to HQ“, Merlin simply instructed. Well, then. Dragging her even closer to him as if he was planning on carrying on in the car where the host must be thinking they had stopped, they fake-staggered their way back, collapsing and giggling in the cab for as long as they were on the mansion’s grounds. Then, finally, the aliases could be taken off.   
Harry sighed and went for the liquid storage, pouring amber into a small glass and offering Roxy one as well. Gladly, she accepted it, not knowing how to break the silence. The cushioned leather cooled her heated skin, yet still the places where Harry had touched her in the office room radiated over her body. The quiet slurping and gulping suddenly made her laugh out loud, an aftermath of the adrenaline and once again how cinematesque her job was. Actually, she couldn’t quite hold herself together. Here she was, a super spy after a ridiculous thorough training, seeking a change of state of mind pursuing strangers’ bodies on her nights’ off, consoling her best friend from heartbreak with a Swedish princess and sitting next to her colleague and boss, who glowed after this mission. Yes, Harry practically glowed with an enigmatic darkness, his scent a mixture of after-shave, sweat and spicy musk, and after a first look of irritation he started to smile. Not long after Roxy shed her first tears of laughter, Harry joined in, slowly but then contentedly laughing whole-heartedly. It took them several minutes to pull themselves together and put their glasses out of there trembling hands.   
“I’m sorry“, Roxy panted, her cheeks hurting, “sometimes it just all seems so absurd.“  
Harry motioned his hands in a way that seemed to say that he had seen worse reactions.  
“Do not worry. I could barely hold myself accountable when winking and chatting about my beautiful date with the other, uhm, gentlemen.“ He smiled dryly. “They were particularly fond of you and your new friend, I have to say.“  
“Well“, Roxy replied before she could think about it, “she wasn’t the only thing on my mind this evening.“  
Right at that moment, the car pulled up outside of headquarters. Standing in front of the mansion was a small frame and Roxy immediately recognized Eggsy’s silhouette, jogging down to meet them. Harry’s gaze had followed Roxy’s. What she hadn’t noticed was that he had lingered on her for a moment longer before catching up with what she had said.  
“Yes“, Harry silently said while Roxy opened the door to an enthusiastic Eggsy, “I can see that.“


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a lucky day! I decided to just write the next chapter, so here you go. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while imagining the conversation below.

After quickly checking into the medical wing, Roxy was walking to Merlin’s office. It had been a short safety check-up, simply looking for traces in her blood in case her drinks had been mixed up with chemicals. Now it was about time to check up on her dog. The USB stick had already been taken by Eggsy, so that their work could continue without ruining the medicals’ precise routines. She wondered briefly how Eggsy got along with Merlin. Despite presenting himself rather unapproachable during their training, she figured that Merlin did have a soft core, what with all his cozy sweaters, the nerdy glasses and his liking for tea with both milk and sugar. 

She knocked on the door and went in after a Scottish “Enter!“ came through. Merlin was sat in front of multiple screens, green letters illuminating his face. His forehead showed the wrinkles that meant he was concentrating, eyebrows pulled together over his glasses. Roxy knew better than to interrupt him, but instead went over to Aglaea who was sleeping on a cozy cushion relatively close to the wizard’s workplace. The elegant dog tried to shuffle her long limbs in a more coordinated placement when she sleepily-excitedly noticed Roxy, who had crouched down beside her, but gave up as soon as Roxy started to stroke her tummy. The dog happily relaxed in her cushion in a position that didn’t seem comfortable for a human spine but apparently was for her.  
The creaking of a chair turning around indicated that Merlin had finished the tasks of utmost importance.  
“I see. As soon as you are back, Lancelot, I just keep getting replaced.“ Roxy could hear the smile in Merlin’s voice and turned around, smiling gratefully back at him.  
“Here I am, watching over you on the mission while feeding the dog, spoiling her even, and all I get is that she still loves you more than me.“ The Scotsman very apparently longed for a dog of his own. Roxy had been thinking of surprising him with one for Christmas, since he never told his birthday to anyone and his files were not disclosing his date of birth.  
“I suppose it’s rather who’s caressing her in the moment, not the person themselves, who she is most loyal to“, Roxy replied apologetically. They both shared a quiet moment of exchanging knowing glances. Aglaea didn’t notice. She was still being petted by Roxy, after all.  
“So“, Merlin turned the topic of the conversation back to the mission, “good work, Lancelot. The drive holds the information needed, I’m just working on getting around the last bits of security they’ve installed. Apparently, though, none thought that the information would get out of the mansion in the first place, so it won’t be a long night.“  
“Sounds good, Merlin“, Roxy replied. She knew that he worked longer hours than anybody, and despite missions sometimes taking months on end, she at least got some time off in return. Not Merlin. He was always here. Not once had she come into his office without him in there or not heard his voice on her missions, and she was starting to ask herself if sometimes this job of his got a little lonely. After all, he knew all of them went home, at least to their dogs if no one else, when they signed off. It didn’t seem like Merlin was ever returning home. With his hours it was probably hard to find even a pet accepting of that.  
She took a look at Aglaea, who had already fallen asleep again. Then she looked at Merlin.  
“Merlin, I really wouldn’t want to disrupt Aglaea’s sleep. Would you mind taking care of her until tomorrow? Only if it’s not too much of a burden for you.“  
Merlin’s eyes started to shimmer and hadn’t she had her training, she would have missed that the corners of his lips ever so slightly turned upwards with hidden glee.  
“Don’t worry, Lancelot. Her majesty will be in best hands. You go and get some rest from your mission. I understand Eggsy debriefed Harry in the medical wing, so your detailed report can wait until tomorrow.“  
Roxy nodded in thanks and left the room. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the grin Merlin had hidden spread into a delightful beam as he turned around to pet the dog before returning to his computers.

*****

“So you are telling me that that worked? Some movie-shit about getting your playful date home and that’s it?“, Eggsy asked Harry, looking at him in clear disbelief.  
“People see what they want to see, Eggsy. Especially if it fits into their view of the world“, Harry sighed as they were waiting for the lab to run his blood samples. It wouldn’t take long, and afterwards he’d be free to go home and -  
“But shouldn’t some of them have suspicions?“, Eggsy interrupted his thoughts. It didn’t make sense to him that the obvious mysterious gentleman and breach of the security system at the same time didn’t let the guests think of a connection, but he wasn’t born into these circles, now was he. Maybe posh folks would have rather stalked him with his accent, despite the suit and manners. He concluded that apparently Harry had been the right choice for this mission for more reasons than he first had thought of.  
“I have to give it to Lancelot that she played her part incredibly well“, Harry said, quickly glancing at Eggsy and then focusing on the white wall in front of him.  
“Yeah“, Eggsy answered obliviously, fidgeting with his chain, “she really knows how to flirt and all. I mean I know she likes to go out to relax after some missions, so she’s had her training. Has a reason she’s teaching seduction now, eh.“  
Harry seemed to stiffen up in his chair, slightly uncomfortable from the private over-share. Eggsy continued, not looking up at Harry but letting his gaze wonder like he was remembering the tales while talking.  
“Well, I’m glad she now has someone at home who understands the job“, Harry politely replied.  
“Yeah, but you know“, Eggsy continued, “I’m more the type to chill on our couch with JB and Roxy’s dog, Aglaea, and you know, the break-up with Tilde wasn’t that easy. So I’m not going out yet, not really ready for all that tumble-mumble. Also it’s some time for myself, I mean I’d never really had the chance to explore a lot while living with Dean, if you know what I mean.“ Eggsy knew he was rambling, but hell, it was late and he’d just witnessed Harry and Roxy making out on the job, so he figured that this wasn’t too much information.  
Harry reached for his cup of tea while trying to keep a neutral expression.  
“So anyways, Roxy’s all out and about, yeah? But I do have to say, sometimes it’s a bit much. I mean I really don’t need, don’t tell her, but sometimes it’s late, she comes home, I sit on the couch, and there’s her telling me about this bloke or that bird and how sometimes people are so sexually repressed that it takes some time before the night gets relaxed and actually a good experience.“  
Harry choked on the gulp of tea his just taken. Eggsy is a mate and taps on his back, continuing to talk.  
“You know, just sometimes I’m not in the mood for her sexual life. I’m open-minded but not every night is a night for great details.“  
Harry coughed the last bits of tea out of his lungs.  
“There, there, Harry. I mean it’s all fine. I’m just glad that she doesn’t talk about it when we decide to fall asleep on the couch. It’s just not what I like to imagine before falling asleep.“  
“Yes“, Harry weakly said, voice a bit hoarse, “I can imagine.“  
“But anyways, I’m so happy to live with Rox now. She’s aces, and it’s a bit of the friend I wished for when I was younger.“  
“You certainly seem to have a special and open-minded bond“, is all that Harry could muster as a reply.  
The nurse stepped into the room, declaring that no suspicious chemicals had been traced in his blood and they were good to go. Eggsy lend him his coat and guided them out to the front of the mansion, the cabs already waiting for them.  
“I hope you and Miss Morton find a good night’s sleep“, Harry said as he turned to Eggsy for their good-bye for the night.  
“Oh, I certainly will“, Eggsy replied beaming. “Luckily Roxy’s spare guest room has the best mattress I’ve ever slept on, and I don’t have to crash on the sofa. You should really see her room, though. Splendid bed. Aglaea thinks that as well. Cheers, Harry!“ Eggsy waved and swaggers to his cab. Watching the lights distancing from the mansion, Harry stood in confusion. 

He asked himself what exactly he’d missed. And was this the way that relationships nowadays worked? He needed to talk with Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We might or might not be nearing the end. I don't know yet. What I also don't know is how explicit I and you would like this to become, so if you have an opinion or wish, let me know in the comments.
> 
> Stay safe and hopefully healthy!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, at last a Saturday with some time to write and ideas I could write down. I'm sorry it's taken longer than expected - the next term has started and I was struggling with how to continue this story. I hope it's satisfactory as I've grown closer to the characters than I expected, yet didn't want to draw it out indefinitely. Enjoy!

The past few days had had Harry feeling growingly ridiculous. He was an accomplished agent. He was the head of an internationally working spy agency that was still successfully manoeuvering work in the most treacherous waters. His private life might not show the traditional display of happy spouse and homelife, but that didn’t make him feel lonely - his path was simply taking other turns than the ones he had grown up around, and he was mature and experienced enough to not let that stir him up. He was content with coming home to his house and bar which, as the Kingsman consultant kept reminding him, was not the best way to keep up with the job’s requirements, but he frankly didn’t give a shit about the consultant’s opinion on that matter.

Growing up an only child he had always found peace in solitude. The stillness didn’t threaten him, but invited him into a calmness scarcely found while on mission, sometimes for months on end, when at the end of it he didn’t know where he began and his aliases stopped. Time would then feel like pictured in Dalí’s paintings, melting between his fingers and flowing and following the tides around him until he could finally settle within the peace of his own home. It had been the first grand purchase from his paychecks and had enabled him to actually stand up to his family. While there had never been an open discussion about it, Harry had always known that some of his choices and tendencies had not resonated well within the extended circle, so being able to actually put his foot down when wanted had been a relief for him.

However, the time after the latest mission with Lancelot had him falling into restlessness, as his mind was not able to switch off of it. In the beginning he had thought that downing some scotch would help, as it always did, but somehow on the first full day off there had still been this itching in his fingertips, accompanied with the rhythmic hammering behind his temples. The latter was an unlucky part of getting older, a reminder he didn’t take personally but also didn’t necessarily raise his spirits. Objectively he knew that he could turn heads still and that age had taken a complimenting approach to him, features maybe even as appealing as when he was younger. Subjectively, he liked to complain to Merlin when he was drunk mainly to see how annoyed Merlin could get by him alone. He had made up a scale on which he was competing with himself.  
After he had poured himself his breakfast scotch, and after a couple other glasses, he had given in to the need to do something because Eggsy’s words wouldn’t leave him alone. He sat down at his office table, opened the darkish, sleek-framed laptop and couldn’t quite believe the number of results for searches such as open relationships and polyamory. A lot had happened since the last time he had been doing relationships, Harry noticed. Back then he had also noticed that this kind of commitment wasn’t for him, so he had stopped delving into the subject altogether what with the job making most attempts appear hopeless anyway. Apparently he had missed out on some developments, and he found himself deeply buried into his studies, among which were documentaries playing on three different screens simultaneously, when Merlin called in on the forth day off.

“Harry, you not talking and dwelling is nearly as annoying as you complaining, so for the sake of my bloody nerves, just start talking“, Merlin sighed, eyes closed and leaning backwards. They were sitting in Merlin’s private sauna, a habit he had picked up when in Finland, back when he was still working in the field. The heat in the room had both of them sweating all over their bodies, yet it also felt ridiculously comfortable. Merlin had obviously found his way of letting loose, and while Harry didn’t always join him, he saw the appeal.  
“I’m not dwelling“, Harry snapped back, annoyed at himself for not being able to keep his damned thoughts to himself. They both knew that Harry couldn’t hold his thoughts back when with Merlin, who never talked much about himself. That uneven balance was part of their longlasting friendship. Merlin didn’t even physically react.  
“Fine“, Harry muttered. “I’ve been looking up open relationships and the sorts. It appears that Lancelot has caught my, well, interest, but apparently she’s somehow engaged with Eggsy. However, they seem to have a more unusual relationship, alas my research. Anyways, it wouldn’t be professional to pursue it. It’s just a rabbit hole my mind’s gotten into.“ He sighed and rubbed his eyes, although his fingers rather slid off his lids. He wondered how it was possible to even sweat there. Meanwhile, Merlin only opened his eyes so that Harry could see how he was rolling his eyes and shaking his head.  
“Sometimes“, he began while Harry changed his position, “you are just wonderfully thick.“  
“What is that supposed to mean now?“, Harry replied, raising his eyebrow.  
“It means that I have not only one, but two agents who excel in their respective field work yet manage to wreak havoc on their private lives. I knew about you, and you’re just hopeless“, at which Harry tried to say something back and failed to find a piece of evidence suggesting otherwise, “but Eggsy’s telling me that Lancelot as well seems to be none the wiser. At least Eggsy has picked up some clues.“  
“How was working with him?“, Harry asked, wanting to change the subject because for once, Merlin had had this curious… something in his eyes, and also because his body didn’t care that he was naked in the sauna with Merlin. Thinking about Lancelot was reminding him that it was just so much bloody easier to hide physical attraction without a cock.  
“The boy’s quick to learn“, Merlin replied, although something was off. It was a tad too quick, Harry realized, and that caught his interest. He would keep an eye on that. Just because Merlin called him foolish in terms of love didn’t mean that his friend was any wiser when it came to his own personal life.

Roxy was standing in front of the class. The lesson was nearly over, and the last minutes she had reserved for rehearsal of anatomy. The remaining trainees were quizzing each other about the various anatomical parts that responded well to arousal and which ones were considered rather kinky, which ones were always worth a try to make a night unforgettable, which ones would keep them on edge without letting them pass over it. She let her gaze wonder and thought to herself that she was rather proud of the progress the group had make. Stressing that they work together had definitely showed good results, except for the last prick standing. She had put in the bet that like Charlie, he wouldn’t pass the loyalty test.  
There was a knock on the door and surprisingly, Harry opened it. In he came with a grand box that was completely black, only with the Kingsman emblem on top of it. As he put it onto the desk next to Roxy, she curiously stepped closer while nodding her greeting. She didn’t want to interrupt the students yet. Harry straightened his shirt and cleared his throat. Roxy couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t wearing his suit jacket, simply the waistcoat with the sleeves of his pristine white shirt rolled up to just below the elbows. It made his muscles show, the sleek fingers adorned by his signet ring and the watch on his wrist.  
“Merlin sent me. I was on my way into this department and he said he could use the lift as he was busy“, Harry quietly said.  
“That’s curious. I hadn’t asked for material for this class“, Roxy said, furrowing her brows. Distantly, she had noticed that the students’ mumble had stopped as the end of the class had approached. She lifted the lid off the box and inside - there was a number of smaller boxes, although their lids were transparent. A small smile rose to her lips. Merlin must have known that the end of the term for her class was approaching, and apparently Kingsman had stepped up its game. Inside the boxes were several sex toys: Roxy could see cock rings, clitoris vibrators as well as classical dildos, among others. All of them bore a small Kingsman emblem and were issued in velvet black or decadent gold. Thoughtfully, there had been placed bottles of lube and cleansers in each box, the sizes small enough as to fit into their mission garments. She turned around to her class, who had already packed up their belongings. Roxy wasn’t known to stretch the time limit of her lessons.  
She didn’t see how Harry silently cursed Merlin while in- and exhaling deeply.  
“As this is one of the last classes, I’d like to present each of you with a box for personal as well as, if making it here at Kingsman, professional use.“  
She handed out a box to each of them while the students went past her out of the classroom. When the last one had left, she turned back around to Harry.  
It was difficult not to obviously run her eyes over him. He really did make for a sinful appearance, his dark eyes warm enough to not be threatening but luring her in nevertheless with secret promises. In an attempt to hide her thoughts, feeling her cheeks flushing, she looked down and saw that one of the boxes had been left over.  
“That’s weird. Merlin knows how many candidates are left“, she said confused, looking up at Harry to see if he knew the answer to the obvious mistake. Harry himself looked like he was battling himself on what to say.  
“I assume it’s a present for your outstanding teaching“, he finally settled on. It only made Roxy blush more, for obvious and lesser known reasons. Standing in front of toys wasn’t a problem for her. Standing in front of toys next to Harry and thus automatically imagining which ones he’d like was indeed a problem.  
“Well, I’ll make sure to thank him“, Roxy replied, glancing towards Harry and cursed herself for the mediocre answer. She was a grown woman, she had seduced on missions and in private, and she couldn’t even make a move on Harry with this opportunity at her hands. It was exasperating. Eggsy would make fun of her all evening for this.

Awkwardly, Harry still stood in front of the box, seemingly torn between saying something and just leaving the room.  
“It’s not my place to ask, but I’ve educated myself on the recent developments of relationships and was just curious…“, Harry, of all people, suddenly sported a blush on his cheeks. It was the first time Roxy had ever thought him to be adorable. If he’d have any less training, he’d probably started to fidget with his fingers too, but they remained calmly at his sides.  
“…well, to ask how your relationship with Eggsy is working out for you with the way you are living it. Of course, this is not meant to be judgemental, merely, curiosity, and, oh god…“, Harry came to a stuttering halt, running his hand through his hair now and rearranging his eye patch nervously. Yes, indeed, it was also the first time Roxy had seen him nervous. However, it didn’t make that much sense - he was implying there was more to her platonic friendship with Eggsy when there absolutely wasn’t.  
“I think you’ve gotten the wrong impression“, Roxy said softly. She had a feeling that she had to move careful now, and not only because of her own tenseness.  
“Eggsy is my best friend and moved in after breaking up with Tilde, but there isn’t anything beyond that.“ Now, Harry’s remark back when he had interrupted them in the meeting room made all the more sense, as well as his sudden retreat from her at their mission after hearing Eggsy’s voice in his earpiece. Could it be? Was there the smallest opportunity that maybe, she wasn’t alone in feeling drawn towards him, falling asleep thinking what was lying underneath the tailored suits? Finding out how deep and dark those eyes could look in the middle of the clashing of bodies, sweat covering them, finally letting loose?  
“Oh“, was all that Harry could muster in reply. Oh, Roxy thought as well. Maybe she had misjudged his behaviour after all, him being attracted to her at least physically at the night of the Kingsman party, him responding to her on the mission because it was a mission and nothing more. She tried to not let the feeling of rejection be seen. She was a professional, she was a Kingsman, and she should be able to not let him read her.  
However, Harry noticed.  
“No, that’s not what I meant“, he quietly said, searching for her gaze. “It’s just not what I had expected.“  
“If it’s any help“, Roxy dared to say, because now she could as well risk it all if nothing else, “I am very much not bound to anyone.“  
Again, it looked as if Harry was battling himself in a silent inward fight. Slowly, Roxy had the idea that if she wasn’t going to make the final, clear move, they’d still be standing here in hours from now. Apparently she wasn’t the only one being nervous in this unusual situation. Suddenly, she also realized that perhaps Merlin had been making a mistake with the number of boxes, but had tried to push them on. Who was he calling cheeky after all?  
“Mr Hart, would you like to have dinner with me and carry this box home?“, Roxy asked, straightening her posture and looking directly at him. Never let it be said she couldn’t stand up for what she desired in the end, even battling her nervousness.  
“I’d be delighted, Miss Morton“, Harry replied, a silent smile spreading over his face, softening and darkening his eyes simultaneously. He slowly reached out to cup her cheek with his long fingers, calloused skin against the softness, and drew his thumb across her bottom lip.  
“I’d be delighted about both dinner and an aftermath with you.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've thought about it and decided that if anybody would like a smut chapter to follow this, I'll attempt to write one, so if you're happier with leaving it with this ending you won't accidentally (more or less, hehe) read into the smut. Of course, this is also just another way to get you to leave a comment if you'd like ;)  
> I sincerely hope you enjoyed this idea that I first thought to only be a one-shot and developed into so much more. If you have any other ideas for stories let me know - I'm not averse to trying out more.
> 
> Have a lovely weekend and stay safe!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! Some inspiration after all. I actually wanted Roxy and Harry to dance ins this chapter already, but apparently I needed a fluffy break from reading a very good, but darkish Hartwin fic right now. The dancing will be in the next chapter. This is just some light side-storyline-ish chapter :)

After the ending of the class, and after their conversation, Harry and Roxy had quickly parted ways to go home. Harry apparently wanted to take her to one of his favourite places, a small, high-quality Italian restaurant. It’d be private enough, guaranteed that there’d be an empty table counting on Harry’s acquaintances with the chefs of London’s culinary world. While Roxy wasn’t as much of a foodie she was longing to finally be allowed to drink her fill of Harry’s looks, his slender and suited body, the darkening of his eyes. She wondered how affectionate and flirtatious he would be in public. He rather struck her as a still-waters-run-deep person, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be looking for his limits and quiet turn-ons. If it went anything like she had in mind, it would be quite a night, and not only because of the food. The waiting had been longer than with anybody else yet, and once Roxy set eyes on something she didn’t let go. It was a trait that had gained her the spot at Kingsman, and it was the trait that had made her the seduction teacher after all.

Her keys signaled her coming home to her dog, and she was greeted by cheerful barks. Both Aglaea and JB raced towards her, her long-limbed beauty stumbling over JB’s little prancing figure and making a mess of both of them. It looked so endearingly that Roxy felt her heart melt a little, especially when she smelled the spices from the kitchen and a wall of oven-induced warmth hit her face. Shrugging off her coat and shoes she went over to the kitchen, where Eggsy stood in front of her utensils wearing a slightly too tight apron. If he were anything but her platonic soulmate she would probably acknowledge how ridiculously well this look suited him, but that was saved for the next lucky person in Eggsy’s life. He turned towards her, a cheeky grin spreading over his face.

“Hey, Rox! Who would’ve thought I was being useful in the kitchen one day, huh?“  
“Certainly not know me“, she replied dryly, which earned her a slap with the cotton towel on the wrist.  
“Oi! Is that a way to talk to your houseman, just because I ain’t teaching at Kingsman?“, Eggsy played along the lines.  
“What, did you make me a sandwich?“, Roxy grinned and then raised her hands in defeat when faced with the towel again.  
“Sorry, couldn’t resist. I had a particularly shitty classmate once who actually owned such a t-shirt, and I’ve always wanted to return the favour of the line. What are you cooking anyway?“  
Eggsy motioned towards the pans. “You shall be forgiven. This is red lentils dal with Basmati rice, steamed, and I tried to make some naan, although that was lost. Well. I can always blame it on the dogs, can’t I.“ He raised one eyebrow at her. Now it was Roxy’s turn to act outraged.  
“Oi! Aglaea very well knows how to behave hers-“, Roxy was about to protest when Aglaea, very much ruining her argument, shoved her head through the kitchen door and made her eyes even bigger than when she had been just a tiny puppy.  
“I see“, Eggsy remarked, only to be interrupted by the sounds of JB’s claws clacking on the tiles and positioning him beneath Aglaea in the doorframe.  
Eggsy and Roxy both sighed in unison.  
“At least we’re getting good karma for spoiling them“, she sighed. Then she turned back around to Eggsy, wanting and hating to break the news that tonight she was having other plans.  
“Eggsy, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’ve… I’ve got a date.“ A grin started to spread on her face. Eggsy turned around again, and there was no sign of hurt but huge eyes on his face.  
“You did it? You did it!“, he exclaimed as Roxy nodded in answer. Spontaneously, he bridged the two feet between them and pulled her in a quick and hearty hug.  
“Rox, look at you! Where are you going?“  
“Aren’t you disappointed about having cooked all of this and now I’m bailing?“, Roxy asked carefully. She really was sorry about the timing of it all.  
Eggsy waved his hand. “No worries. I can put some stuff in the freezer anyways, and I’m trying to get better at cooking, so it’s not a wasted opportunity.“  
“Shouldn’t you be going out some time again too?“, Roxy remarked, remembering that Eggsy had spent most of the nights still at her place, only to be met with a blush that crept up his neck. Apparently she had missed out on something, with teaching occupying much of her recent time.  
“There, well, might be someone I like, but it’s difficult.“ Eggsy looked down at his feet and shuffled a bit awkwardly. JB sensed Eggsy’s tension and swaggered over to him, bumping his head against Eggsy’s shin and heavily sitting down right on his foot. He always aimed for Eggsy’s to not be able to move away from him.  
“Are you going to stand around here all evening or are you going to tell me more about it?“, Roxy asked Eggsy as his blush reached his cheeks. She took a cup of tea from the pot Eggsy’s had been brewing and sat down at the kitchen table. Eggsy sighed and scooped JB up in his arms, Aglaea taking it as her allowance in the kitchen and trotting over to her favourite place close to the heating. He sat down in the chair next to Roxy, cuddling a happily panting pug, although his focus went inwards. To see Eggsy developing feelings was always very cute, Roxy had found it. It was a bit like having an in-person romcom, because Eggsy did have more romantic tendencies than one might think and his got embarrassed rather quickly. Also, he tended to dance around the person he liked before actually approaching them for quite some time. Even with Tilde, when he had been in smooth-gentleman-mode, he had begun to do this after their first meeting, which had irritated Tilde to no ends until Roxy had taken pity and had invited her for tea, explaining Eggsy’s softness was rather his way of showing he cared.  
So now, it was all starting again, and she was curious who had managed to reach Eggsy down in the shell he had pulled up around himself. Seeing his relationship with Tilde break apart, no matter what they did and even though they still had feelings for each other, he had retreated and out his heart out of reach for most. Only someone who was not aiming for it would be able to actually get to the hidden place, and it would require a lot of time spent together. Roxy frowned, going through what she knew of Eggsy’s rather limited personal encounters lately, and suddenly it hit her when he hadn’t even managed to get over his first stammer. A smile softened her features.  
“You fear what happens of you approach them and you get rejected, right?“  
“Sometimes you are a bit spooky“, Eggsy mumbled. She was on the right path then.  
“Why don’t you let me get dressed, and then we can talk in quiet until I’ve got to go? I’ll just be some minutes, my suit is already ready for wear.“  
“Yeah, alright“, Eggsy replied, and Roxy made her way upstairs. There, the first thing she did was not going to her bathroom but taking out her mobile and sending two texts.

One of them was to Harry:  
 _Would you get Merlin a cab to my address?_

The other went out to Merlin:  
_Wear something nice. He has cooked dinner himself._

Harry’s reply was almost instant:  
 _It’s about time they get a move on._

Then Roxy went to have her shower.

After merely twenty minutes she was already entering the kitchen again.  
“Eggsy, have you seen my gloves anywhere?“  
He looked up from JB and frowned.  
“Wait, I think I’ve seen them on the coatrack.“ He stood up, letting a satisfied JB walk over to Aglaea and falling asleep next to her and walking towards the front door. Roxy smiled at his back and pulled the gloves out of her coat while following him to the front. They came to a halt right in front of the door.  
“Oh, look, I’ve found them!“, she exclaimed a bit too brightly.  
“Roxy“, Eggsy started, suspicion in his voice.  
“And oh, look at the time! I shouldn’t let Harry wait“, she interrupted happily, opening the door to a timid Merlin who had his hand just raised to knock on it.  
“What a timing. Now, don’t wait for me“, Roxy waved at Eggsy, winked at Merlin and then swayed to the cab, knowing a lecture would await her tomorrow, but she was never wrong with Eggsy and his feelings. She’d endure that if it meant a new leap at happiness for him and another splendid person in her life. Both would enjoy the evening.  
And she was planning on doing that as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually ship Merlin and Eggsy but it felt fitting writing this chapter, and I like the idea of awkwardness in their behaviour when it comes to these personal topics. I hope you enjoyed it as well, even if the pairing is not your usual reading material!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, ahem, yes. It's been some time now, and I don't know how this happened - actually, I do, I had a lot to do and spent my rare spare time binging on Hartwin fics because winter makes me needing that apparently - but here's at least a small chapter. At least there's a dance floor in the restaurant. I hope they'll make use of it.

Roxy stepped outside of her house. The rainy evening had coated the cobble stones and the street lamps gave them a new shine. The Kingsman cab was already waiting. As she approached the car, she saw a tall and sharply suited silhouette leaning against the back door. Harry Hart pushed himself into walking towards her, smoothly reaching the umbrella over her head to prevent the last rain drops from falling on her hair. Doing so, the hint of a smile washed over his face, leaving a dark twinkle in his eyes.

“I hope you didn’t have to wait for me“, Roxy said while he reached out to open the door for her. Roxy wondered whether he’d already done that prior to his Kingsman training.

“I thought Eggsy would keep you in longer and lecture you, but you seem to have left the house quickly enough“, Harry replied and made his way to the other side of the cab.

When he slid into his seat, Roxy couldn’t help it but notice how one untamable curl had made its way out of the neat comb, set loose by the damp air. It somehow gave Harry an adorable and dangerous look at the same time: It was easy to imagine what his hair would look like waking up in the morning, cushion frames imprinted on his face. It was also easy to remember that this particular curl would always fall loose in the heat of battle, enemies effectively knocked out in a violent outburst. Later, it was usually the only hint that Harry had actually done more activity than sitting around all day.

“May I“, Harry asked, hand held out but hovering right before intruding on her personal space.

How much of a gentleman would he be without his clothes?

Roxy gave a quick nod and Harry carefully tucked a stray of hair that had escaped her high bun behind her ear. The innocence of the move was followed by his hand not leaving her, but his thumb slowly stroking down her earlobe, her throat, to her collarbone. An involuntary shiver ran over her body and Roxy had to swallow, because that was implying much more than simply dinner.

“You are not the only one with training in respective fields, Miss Morton“, Harry smiled and the dimples on his face grew deeper. Maybe she had found her match.

Suddenly, her phone chimed as a text came in. The screen lit up the back of the cab, but it didn’t light up Harry’s darkish eyes. Roxy got her phone out after her phone buzzed again, sensing that it would be her housemate.

**well talk bout this later u kno bruv**

**i mean hes even wearing a jumper now and its cute yeah**

**but get some tonight my grrrl**

“Sorry, it’s Eggsy“, Roxy said, sending an apologizing smile to Harry.

“You should answer if you want us to have some spare time this evening“, Harry said dryly.

They both knew how Eggsy would set a phone on fire when left waiting. Once, he had actually managed to buzz Roxy’s phone off her desk. Afterwards, he had been complaining because she’d kept it on silent mode.

_You’re welcome Eggs. Enjoy. I will too._

The cab stopped in front of the restaurant when she sent the text off, and before she could notice his absence Harry was already opening the door for her. The quiet chatter of the restaurant drifted over to them. In the small garden next to the house, the owner had opened up a small dancing area. Two couples were slowly swaying to the classical instruments of two men in the corner. Weren’t it for the distant sound of sirens and the grey facades of the neighbouring houses, this could have been situated in just another small Italian city. Inside the restaurant, they were led to a table situated in the back close to the windows to the garden, granting them privacy from the others. One of the couples came to a halt and somehow, time seemed to move slower. Roxy looked up from her menu, away from the way Harry’s gaze was still lingering on her, and looked out of the window into the eyes of a man she had seen not too long ago.

Outside on the dance floor was the host of the party she and Harry had infiltrated. He held her gaze and she could see a hint of recognition as his eyes moved over to Harry.

This was not good.

She wasn’t even wearing her glasses and Merlin was out for probably the first time in bloody months. Urgently, she tapped her foot against Harry’s, signaling for him to look up and added -danger- in morse code for good measure. It wasn’t like they hadn’t attracted attention at that party, and with bad luck on their side, the host had made a connection between them and the way his criminal ring had blown up lately. More importantly, police hadn’t caught him yet, which was unsettling at least. It wasn’t like there hadn’t been information on the stick she had retrieved for Merlin. Hopefully this didn’t mean something bigger was going on than they were aware of.

The tiniest hints were merely giving away how Harry’s posture smoothed from relaxed into expectant. Adjusting his glasses served the hidden purpose of activating them while he reached across the table to seemingly just hold Roxy’s hand in his, but this way her thumb could easily morse him in disguise.

“Darling, it looks lovely outside“, she purred at him while morsing -party host- into his palm.

The host, if recognizing them, would know them as a couple and her wearing a suit tonight would be outstanding enough to him. She couldn’t hear it, but from the way Harry’s eyes were going slightly distant Merlin had to be talking to him. Her phone buzzed. Thankfully, on a date appearing to be a couple it would be alright if a bit rude to reply, so she got it out and texted Eggsy whom she had seen. Inwardly, she cursed the idiot in the dance floor for ruining not one but two date nights. How bad could one’s timing be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for being indecisive with the plot - should this turn into a corruption situation? Is it nearing its end? Will Harry smoke this evening, because while I absolutely don't recommend smoking Colin Firth looks ridiculously attractive doing it? So many questions and so little time. Tell me what you think and stay safe!


End file.
